Intangible
by bremen100
Summary: Set after TASM, it is about how Peter gets back with Gwen as he constantly manages to keep the city from harm. Also Harry and MJ are back in town but there is something sinister about him. Recent events have forced Peter to join up with the Iron fist and SHIELD shows up. To make matters worse, Gwen and MJ are both embued with spider powers as Peter tries to keep a check on them.
1. Chapter 1

07 July 2015

17:22

Author's note -

Hello people. This is my first fan fiction. I would like you all to be supportive and keep your reviews flowing. I also would to thank my friend ( his current username is - "Rain-6" on fan fiction) who motivated and helped me write the first chapter.

This story is set after TASM 1. It is about how Peter gets back with Gwen, the way he constantly manages to keep the city from harm. Harry is back but there is something more than meets the eye. Harry and MJ gets get close. But he manages to keep a watchful eye over MJ and at the same time rekindles his relationship with Gwen.

And I am open to ideas. It would be really nice for readers to give new ideas.

Chapter 1

Beep Beep. Beep Beep. Beep Beep..

"5 minutes ..Aunt May.." grumbled Peter as he made a futile attempt to hit the snooze button that ended up shattering the alarm clock into a million pieces. This is the fifth alarm clock that he had broken.

The previous night had turned out to be one of the most tiresome night that he ever had- bank heists, home invasion etcetra, etcetra.

He had his hands full. He only wished to take a day off and do nothing but sleep to his hearts content.

He knew this was a lifestyle that he could never have. It was way too much luxury than he could afford.

Peter slept undisturbed for what seemed like a meagre 5mins before a sharp knock by Aunt May jolted him out of his deep slumber.

"Get your ass off the bed sleepyhead." exclaimed Aunt May. " You don't want to be late on your first day."

Peter got up feeling groggy and lazy. He rubbed the sleep off his drowsy eyes. He got down from his bed and wiped the drool from his cheek.

He glanced at the clock above his study table. He couldn't believe it. It was 8:56 a.m. And his classes were gonna start from 9:00 a.m.

He jumped from his bed, pulled on a pair of trousers and slipped into a sweatshirt while brushing his teeth at the same time. Peter slipped on his sneakers and took off giving a slight peck on Aunt May's cheek.

"See ya, Aunt may.", yelled Peter as he rushed out of the door.

"Try to come back home for dinner , Pete." shouted Aunt May after him.

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Peter knew that he could never reach his school on time. As he didn't want to be late so he entered an alley and quickly changed into his spider suit and took off swinging and jumping from one building to the other as fast as he could.

He couldn't believe that he was going to be late for his very first day. Thanks to his spider powers, now he could make it on time before they shut the gates. He zipped as fast as he could. He was just a couple of minutes away from school when he heard a loud honking from somewhere below. He looked down. The sight made his heart grow cold with fear. There was a kid running across the road, following a ball that had somehow rolled onto the street. The kid was completely oblivious to the fact that a 10 tonne truck was speeding towards him at breakneck speed. Without wasting even a millisecond, he let go of his web, quickly changed his direction and pulled himself towards the now petrified boy. His mind worked at hyper speed fuelled by his adrenaline rush. He kept descending. 60 feet ... 40 feet ... 20feet ... And just as he was about to reach the surface, everything seemed to slow down. Spidey clocked the incoming impact and time stopped. He could feel the spider sense racking as his brain as he analysed the situation at hyper speed. He could feel the sudden rush of the air past his ear as he zip-lined to the opposite building. Strength coursed through his veins as he lunged forward. He extended his right hand forward in a attempt to reach the kid. His hand reached and went round the petite frame of the child's waist. He gently lifted him off the ground and allowed his trusty web to pull the child and himself towards safety. He made a smooth landing on the ground and crouched to cushion his direct impact with the ground.

The boy was awestruck to have been saved by spidey. He ogled his eyes at him, his lower jaw hanging an inch away from his upper jaw. He realised that of all people on this world it was spider-man who was looking at him. Boy, he was surely gonna tell tales about this to his friends.

"Hey little guy, where's your mom?"

Of course the boy was struck beyond his wits.

Oh boy, the kid is still shaking. Guess he is shocked, thought Peter

"So next time be a little extra careful kid because spider-man might not be around to look out for you."

And so he took off ...

Well now Peter knew that he officially late for school. He was sure that he would be in a lot of trouble if he couldn't attend the first class of his first day. He quickly took shortcuts here and there and landed on the roof of his school, changed as fast as he could and entered the building through the vent.

He ran across the hall, his footsteps echoing through the empty hall, made a quick turn for the corridor where his classes were going to be held. As he neared his classroom he could hear Mr, Anderson's loud husky voice.

Peter pushed himself through the door.

20 pairs of eyes stared at him as though he was something impossible to understand

"Ah Mr. Parker. Thank the Lords!. You finally decided to grace us with your divine presence.", exclaimed Mr Anderson mockingly at Peter.

"Hope you don't take time to select your favourite seat"

"I am sorry, Mr , Anderson. It won't happen again.", apologised Peter.

"Unh. Whatever."

Peter quietly took the only empty seat and it was beside Gwen.

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a notebook and looked desperately for a pen.

He looked around to see if anyone had a spare pen. Then right out of nowhere he saw a hand emerge along with a pen.

It was Gwen. Even though her golden bangs fell across her face providing a mask, he could tell that she was distraught. She was ignoring Peter, Well Peter couldn't blame her. It was his fault for not showing up at her father's funeral. He was so wrecked with guilt that he couldn't be there for Gwen when she needed her the most. He realised that he would always end up hurting the people that he cared about the most and it included Gwen.

And also the promise that he made to Captain Stacy before his death ...

He felt obliged to respect a dead man's wish.

He didn't want anything bad to happen to her for he knew that he would be broken beyond any repair if it did.

Thinking this to be the best for Gwen's safety he completely cut her out.

Peter took the pen quietly from her and thanked her quietly. Gwen didn't show any sign of acknowledgment.

He was filled with guilt at this gesture displayed by Gwen. She was still trying to help him and be there for him in spite of all the pain that her entire family had to go through. It seemed Gwen was the only one to care for him.

This truly touched him.

Soon it was lunch break.

Peter quietly entered the cafeteria. He topped up his plate with fries, meat balls and coke.

Just as he was about to take his seat, his spider sense jolted him as entered the realm of reality. He could sense Flash Thompson's deliberate movement of his huge muscular arm to knock his plate out of his hands. Peter knew for sure that he could easily catch his arm before Flash's synapses could ever think of a response. But he knew better not to take such rash actions. He couldn't think of risking his identity for the sake of his loved ones. He already lost Gwen and his uncle which was still taking its toll on him.

Instead he just allowed Flash to knock his plate all over him. The coke completely drenched his clothes and the fries left oily smudges all over. Peter looked morose cause he knew that no punishment could ever help him in redeeming the wrongs that he had done.

Maybe he was taking it too hard on himself. Still he let it go. He knew he shouldn't care about petty things such as Flash as it really didn't matter much to him. He went on his way as he heard Flash and his goofy friends guffawing at him and mimicking the slouched shoulders that he made while walking.

Peter refilled his plate and quietly took a seat at the far end of the hall. It seemed to him he had meals of hopelessness and despair. Just then a sudden movement of golden hair caught his eyes.

It was Gwen. She walked swiftly towards Flash.

"Flash. Why do you have to be so rude and make fun of Peter. I have tutored you and I think you can be so much better than this version of yours. There is till time for you to change and leave this very bad attitude of yours."Gwen said this with reproach.

She got Flash mum and ashamed. Flash knew Gwen meant well for him. And he valued his friendship with her too much to loose it. Flash apologised to her and promised that he would never pick on Peter.

Peter was stunned by this. This was the second time Gwen looked out for him. Before he could ever let himself immerse into those heart wrenching feelings, he quietly got up and left the cafeteria before stealing a quick glace at Gwen. She was concentrating on her plate, seemed calm and hell bent on finishing her food.

Peter went back to his class and sat down on his bench. He checked his cell phone to check if he had any messages waiting for him. As there was none, he attended the other classes. The rest of the classes went uneventfully. Soon he heard the loud ring of the final bell.

The first day of his class was finally over. This seemed to be such a long tiring day for him.

He shuddered at the very thought of what might happen to him and the end of the senior year. Ignoring all the unhealthy thoughts that was continuously creeping up on him, he decided that the best course of action is to take off.

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He was enjoying the cold evening air as it rushed past him. This is the feeling that should be everlasting, he thought. The scenic view of Manhattan coupled with the pristine pollution free air high up here calmed his nerves. No sudden spider sense alert to keep him focused. He had had enough.

This experience made his breathless every time. He could never get enough of it.

It always rejuvenated him.

His heightened senses lay dormant giving him the uncanny sense of serenity. He swung across the proud looking skyscrapers and perched on a flag post.

The view was truly breath taking. He pulled his mask off his face. The rays of the setting sun peeked through the clouds and shimmered on the building. He was witnessing one of the greatest creation of god.

He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun along with the cool evening air console his tortured heart.

After enjoying a few blissful moments, he eyes opened and fell on the OSCORP tower. Events from yester year came rushing back to him all at once, overwhelming him. Events flashed before his eyes as though his brain was projecting them and focussing on the part that had already been seared on it, with a magnifying lens. It was truly painful reliving them again.

Peter was thankful for his powers, that allowed him to witness this softer side of New York. People rarely took time out of their busy schedule and enjoy the scenic beauty that Peter just witnessed... It was truly the work of wonders.

Peter pulled his mask back on and leaped from the pole into the reality of life that awaited down below.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note – Hello everybody. I am really glad to have recieved all your positive reviews.. Mary Jane and Harry are in town. Peter tries to and reachout Gwen. He still finds himself incapable of doing so. As the three of them decide to hang out just like old times...there is something that is constantly bugging Peter.

Peter swung his way through New York and made his way to his humble house. He quickly changed up and as he approached his place. He could excitedly hear two distinct female voices - one had a slight quivering voice just like his Aunt May while the other had a refined tone and exactly the right amount of timbre made Peter think of someone...

Someone from his distant past...

He couldn't really place her voice... So familiar ...someone that was locked away in his mind.

Peter turned the knob of the front door and stepped in.

His breath was knocked out of him, as he felt someone ram into him. It was a girl and she was hugging him. He got a whiff of a spicy lavender perfume. She had auburn hair full of healthy hair. He softly removed himself from her grasp in an attempt to get a look at her.

"Whoa there lady...who are you?" questioned Peter.

"Peter i am really disappointed. You don't remember me?'

"OMG...is it MJ Watson? Shit is it really you?"

MJ simply nodded her head .That all is all he needed to confirm her identity.

Somewhere in the distant past... the only friend Peter had was Mary Jane Watson. She lived with her father who became a drunkard after the unfortunate death of her mother.

Didn't ever take care of his daughter enough. She had no love, never knew what it meant to be a family. No one to care of her. So she spent most of her time at Peter's place where she was given a true feeling of home. But soon she needed to move away from her father for which she was very grateful. She stayed with her aunt in Philadelphia.

But this very friendship that he shared with MJ was something more.. Peter could finally see some light in his black heart.

He knew ..with MJ around his days would be easy going., at least he would have somebody to confide in.

Peter Smiled at himself...

They were once very good friends.

Peter could sense his carefree nature emerge from some where deep within that had been trapped away for soo long...

He was happy that he could now actually speak to someone freely. Peter realised that she was something more to him..more than family.

Peter then took some time to analyse her...physically. Boy..she had really changed. She looked attractive.

"Hey you two. Are you just gonna stand there or come inside. Coffee's getting cold.", shouts Aunt May

"Come on tiger. We have a lot of catching up to do." said MJ.

MJ yanks Peter's hand and pulls him upstairs to his bedroom along with coffee tray.

MJ plopped down on his bed as if it were her own leaving him standing awkwardly by his door. She patted at the space beside her urging him to sit.

"So Peter tell me what have you been doing? But first tell me how are you doing? And I see you... have been working out. You have been working out?"

"There has nothing interesting. A little on and off. I have assignments and loads of homework. What about you? What have you been doing in Philadelphia? What was it like?"

MJ's eyes shone with excitement as her thoughts came tumbling all together at once. Peter had never ever seen her this happy and it seemed as though she was reliving the years she spent with her aunt Anna Watson.

"It was something beyond amazing..My life was unparalleled over there. People were constantly on the move.

Concerts here.. parties there, ..just mention it ...Everything was soo bright out there. And the most important of all is that everybody lived the moment.. It was soo bright as though it was a dream come true for me.. I had been waiting for something such as this to come and sweep me off my feet ..And I literally got swept away in their carnival of their everlasting celebration"

MJ was elated "And you know I even got an offer to model...how cool is that right?"

Peter listened to her open mouthed and he never imagined that there was something out there soo bright and so vivid...

Peter wondered was it really possible...well he knew that he was stuck in her but he never imagined that the outside would so glamorous.. The way MJ described him made Peter wish if only he could go there...

He had been rotting away in this shitty place for too long, he desperately needed a fresh start. But too bad for him ..he could never back away from his alter ego and he knew... for the safety of mankind he must shun from devouring these worldly pleasures.

"you know Pete you could do some real good by taking a break... I see that you have been stuck here since ...like forever. Go out ..see what the world has got to offer.. enjoy.. go on blind dates... get a hangover.. You won't regret I tell you. " said MJ .

"You know I can't MJ. I need to get a scholarship from school and try to get into a decent college."

"Okay fine do whatever you feel like doing.". Retorted MJ. "And by the way speaking of girlfriends, do you have one?" asked MJ teasing him as she knew that nerd could never win himself one.

Peter was completely taken aback as she unabashedly broached the topic head on.

"Well, there is one"

"WHAT?...for real?" exclaimed MJ as though it was surreal.

"Yep"

"Oh Cupid.. thank you.. You have finally made your way to nerdy Parker.. What are the odds.. So Peter Parker tell me everything. Start with her name try not to miss ?"

"Alright Alright.. Her name's Gwen Stacy. She is from my class. She is new and she didn't have any friends . I was the first to talk to her. She is brilliant and chemistry's her strong area. Its like she can easily concoct even the toughest of the chemicals without even a drop sweat. She is science wiz. But it was her nature that attracted me to her the most. She always saw the good in everybody regardless of the person they are. She someone that mere words simply won't complete her. "said Peter at a single stretch.

God, he felt soo good in confiding into someone...really, this thought was really bugging him and he finally got a chance to vent his perturbed thoughts. Peter felt as though a heavy weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He stared blank eyed at MJ as she assessed whatever Peter told her.

"Holy shit...That is something quite serious dude...I am happy for you. Are you still together or what?" asked MJ

"No we are not speaking to each other right now. We are going through a rough patch. The sudden death of her father has truly shaken her. She is taking time to heal. And i was not there when she needed me the most.." said Peter trying desperately to console himself rather than breaking down in front of her.

Peter fought back his tears..

He wanted to be strong...not weak... he wanted people to see him as someone stable...someone concrete. Who could stand up for themselves super powered or not...

"I am so sorry Pete. But I am sure she will come around. Judging from her character I think if you think she is the one don't falter from your path. Stay strong and fight for her, no matter what the consequences may be. Also the fact that she still care obviously means she still has contained feelings for you but she is withholding herself. You should speak to her Pete. Try not to beat around her too much. Whatever you think of doing, do it in front of her. I am sure she will surely get by you" assured MJ

Peter nodded. He knew she was right. He had to be sure and direct with her, muster up courage and say it out loud...

"And Peter, heard there is a new superhero in town...Spiderman"

"Yeah what about him..." trying to sound very casual... but ended up gulping at the end.

MJ looked up at him giving him a quizzical look. "He is all over the tv and people are talking about him. There has also been reports about him being the saviour of Ney York...you know how he stopped the lizard into releasing that biochemical shit all over..."

"Yeah.. yeah.. I know..." said Peter trying to add something sensible...

"Well what is he like? Have you seen him up close?" said MJ dreamily

" I have seen him a few times. He is just looks like a normal guy jumping around ...trying to save the day. But those who have seen him say that he is amazing "

"Well I..."

"Mary Jane your aunt i wants you down. Its getting late dear!" screamed Aunt May at the top of her lungs from downstairs.

"What ?so soon? Well our conversations were just beginning to get interesting"

"No no Mary Jane ..your aunt has had a rough day remember. She needs rest . Come over tomorrow and have your breakfast with Pete over here ok dear." said Aunt May, climbing up the stairs and peaking into the room.

"Finnnnneeee... Pete. I better get going. See you tomorrow morning. Bye!" said MJ, stifling a yawn with her hand, as she walked downstairs.

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Morning came pretty soon. The sun burnt the back of Peter's eyelids, until he gave up trying to sleep any further. He was groggy. His hair all dishevelled and tangled in a mess that would be a nightmare even for a girl to untangle them yet again.

Peter got up his feet and slowly found his way in into the dining space tripping and yawning as he descended down the stairs. He saw an irritatingly cheerful MJ sitting at one end of the table with a bowl of cereal . With her mouth full of cereal milk dripping from the corner off her, she looked at Peter and grinned.

"Morning Pete" exclaimed MJ.

"Good morning..."said Peter lazily.

He slumped on a chair nearby MJ. MJ switched on the television in an attempt Peter even more. She cranked up the volume that made his ears hurt.

"UNNGH", exclaimed Peter as he made a futile attempt to cover his ears to block the unpleasant sound

His eardrums kept ringing with an uncontrollable humming sound that kept buzzing continuously. Thanks to his acute hearing, the hearing discomfort that he felt ... was severely augmented.

This drove any pending feeling of grogginess that he had right out of the window.

Well now Peter was officially awake and MJ had a good laugh.

Peter cursed MJ, cursing her voice, hating everything about her. She disturbed him from his sleep.

But on the television something caught his eyes. The headlines were "Osborn senior dies. Osborn junior to take up helm."

The reporter said-" ... it has been reported just know that the CEO of OSCORP, Mr Norman Osborn took his last breath in his private suite here in New York. He survived by his only son Harry Osborn who will be taking over his mantle as the new CEO of OSCORP. The police have refrained from commenting any further about his mysterious death but sources have confirmed that he had been showing symptoms of excessive weakness and violent rage outbursts over the past few years. No one suspected his to be so sudden death..."

Peter knew that Mr Osborn had been very sick for the past couple of years. Once during his patrol, he stopped by Oscorp tower to catch his breath. As Peter sat down on the balcony, when he saw Mr Norman Osborn tripping .

Peter thought that he was drunk but something about him was wrong. He spit out blood from his mouth as he made a desperate attempt to grab hold of a nearby chair.

Only then Peter saw the something that made his augmented spider senses make his blood grow cold. Peter perched behind one of the statues to prevent himself from getting caught. And then whatever he witnessed ... was a monster in Osborn's physique.

He had green scales that partially covered him. His eyes were demonic as if in pain. Huge talons replaced his intricately manicured nails. There was a significant increase in his size and mass. The continuous grunts that the creature made were savage. There was nothing human left in him.

Just then he heard a blood curdling scream and there was a sudden flash of light and a sudden spike in temperature. ...

He was blinded for a few seconds... As he let his vision clear and saw Norman sprawled eagle faced with his face down. His $2500 dollar fancy suit was in a huge pile of ashes and his entire body smoldered.

From far Peter took one good look at him.

His eyes ... they were just like those of a maniac...they were burning with evil...just like a Goblin gone rogue...

Peter felt sane enough to go and help Osborn out but right then there was a deafening scream as the fire alarms went off.

He got his cue to leave as he knew Norman Osborn would be in much capable hands.

Peter knew that something was very fishy going on with Osborn. Peter knew that he would never be able to forget that moment. It was still too vivid.

But then a pang of guilt overpower him as he was reliving moments of Harry's dad..

As far Peter remembered Harry was always close to his dad.

" _Harry must be going through a lot of pain right now_ ", Peter thought.

Upon empathizing, Peter found himself filled with the same morbid hopelessness tower over him ...no matter how hard he tried to bury them down deep inside, they always found a away to surface and take hold of him

Then there was a sudden bellow that made Peter come back to his senses.

"Peter ! Its time for school. Are just gonna sit there and stare at the television all day? Haul your ass off the chair and get ready or else you might be late again."

"Yeah Peter. Chop . I know what you have been thinking. But before that I want you to get dressed as soon as you can, slowpoke. My goodness, Pete my Granny has more energy than you, Come on, we will be late for our classes,"

"You will be late?...wait a minute why are you going to school?" asked Peter

"Peter I will be joining Mid town High . Hey ...did you even listen to a word I said last night?" exclaimed MJ. .

" We will need to sort things out, Pete. Now ..." said MJ sternly.

"But of course on our way... Right ...or else we might be late and i surely in hell want to make it on time on my first day." said MJ as sweetly as she could. But Peter could sense the hostility in her voice. Peter sighed.

"Well she hasn't changed a bit" Peter thought ...

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Fortunately for Peter, he didn't come across any trouble on his way for which he was very grateful. Mary Jane accompanied him as they walked to school.

Since she was all hyped about meeting new and old friends alike , she just couldn't shut herself up. Nevertheless he kept on bragging all their way to high school. But Peter felt comfortable , not to be alone and again in the midst of good company among old friends. ..maybe he missed all of this...

And also to his relief there were no incoming distress calls. And for that he was very helpful. How could he ever sneak past MJ? ..My goodness, he didn't think of thinking about it. She was a very difficult girl to dupe indeed he didn't have to take any detour on his way.

Fortunately Peter reached school on time today. That was when he saw the last of MJ. It was just as if she disappeared completely .

Well he knew couldn't blame her. Meeting all her friends after a long time would surely gonna take a hell of a time and that too for a social butterfly like her.

Peter again grew morose of thinking about the very prospect of seeing Gwen at class. Peter started to feel guilty all over again. Peter didn't miss any of his classes but was wrecked with guilt all over again.

Nevertheless it was event less at school. Gwen still kept giving cold treatment to Peter.

Peter had a mind to come over and speak to Gwen, clarify things up but he couldn't.

He couldn't muster up enough courage, wasn't bold enough,. Completely wrecked with guilt, painful to him. His heart wept like a small child craving for a bar of chocolate that he couldn't afford.. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't mutilate himself all over again.

His raging teen hormones made him see no logic. In his foremost part of his mind...everything slipped away. Loosing uncle Ben was hard on him ..but loosing Gwen and his responsibilities as spiderman was way too harsh on him.

He wanted to be with someone. And most of all, he wanted Gwen. Gwen Stacy...Gwen Stacy...Gwen Stacey is the only think he felt like thinking. ..always imagining her golden image by his side...

The first half uneventful.. Soon it was lunch break. As usual Peter sat himself at the farthest corner of the cafeteria with his plate of food away from all of them..

The only event that happened was when MJ shouted Gwen's name right in front of everyone which made his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

He knew MJ wanted the two of them to get close and speak so that they could work it out.

And in their second half all of them had chemistry practical. Peter had a lot of difficulty in concentrating on his work as Gwen was working right across the room from him.

Neither of them raised their heads. They kept working throughout the entire duration. Peter was completely distracted as he couldn't just take his eyes away from her. He didn't looked at her directly but still managed to catch a good enough glimpse of her steady hands moving across test tubes . Her fingers sorted and moved gracefully across the test tube and beakers with extreme precision and that she had acquired with careful practice.

He even broke a test tube as he tried to tear his glace away from her. Man he was completely loosing it...

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After school Peter took off. As he ventured into a few unfriendly neighbourhoods, on his way he came across a gang who were trying their best to make a discreet drug exchange with some low life.

Peter watched them closely and saw that the gang members all had a specific symbol...had Cantonese writings over the entire length of their arms. They had to be the Chinese triad.

Without giving even a second thought, he leaped forward. The trajectory of his fall was aimed in such a manner that he landed right on the bag with enough force to spill all of its contents all over.. POOF...a thick cloud of white dense powder rose up from the baggage and powdered stuff was all over the place ..just like a miniature mushroom cloud like a tiny nuclear reaction.

One of the gang members, who seemed to be their boss shouted at him ..saying something gibberish.

" _Golly, he is mad",_ thought Peter.

As the mob boss kept speaking... without wasting a single millisecond he webbed the remainder of the drug and webbed the entire bag up sealing it perfectly . He took it and placed it behind his back as though he was a carrying a large cocoon like a bag pack.

And then for the gang members everything seemed as surreal...

His spider sense tingled. He turned around and made a quick assessment as the seven of them approach him altogether. All of them had sticks, metal rods, chains but one had a gun. Just as he was about to shoot. Spidey could easily predict the path of the trajectory that it was going to follow. He quickly shot out a line of web, yanked the gun away from his hand even before he could turn off the safety and threw it in a nearby bin.

Then everything was a flash.

Spidey dodged every move that they tried to throw at him. But it was just like waving their weapons and fists furiously in air. Then spidey punched one of them ...square on the face.

POW... and sent him sprawling back a few feet. As the rest attempted to flee, Peter jumped over their heads and bashed their skull together.

It was really a breeze for spidey... his trusty spider sense guiding him ..providing him enough time to calculate their weak spots and subdue them with the greatest ease. It was cake-walk for spidey. Jumping ...dodging... Jabbing ...webbing... it was all in his instinct... the way he fought. ..it seemed like a beautiful art of its own.

It was not long before Peter subdued all of them and left them hanging upside down above the lamp post entangling them in his web of shadow...along with the bag pack of drugs attached.

They swung like a pendulum in motion ..shouting curses ..at him(or that was what Peter thought as curse) as he swung away on his way home and leaving their fate in the hands of NYPD.

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Peter walked leisurely thinking and making up his mind if he should really go and face Gwen. He was in turmoil. He knew that he needed to speak with her before things got worse.. As he neared his house, he saw a huge limo waiting at the curb of his house.

Peter looked quizzical and neared the vehicle when there a soft whirring noise and the power window slid down.

"Hey tiger. Hop in.", said MJ with a grin.

"Wait ..what's this? How did you come to possess this overpriced car? Is it yours?", asked Peter looking bewildered at her.

"No, of course not, dummy. It was Harry. He sent this limo. He wants the three of us to spent time.. you know just like old times."

Peter watched at her trying to comprehend what she had just said.

"He is here?" asked Peter staring wide-eyed at her.

"OMG Pete ...Get inside and I will narrate "A brief History of time" to you.", said MJ irritably.

"What about aunt May? What did she say"

"I told her that you would be staying over with me and Harry. She was glad that you were going to spend time with us cause ..you know ..she felt you were getting distant lately. Now come get inside before I tell the driver to go on without you.", retorted MJ

Peter quickly got inside the car before MJ got cranky. Peter is afraid of this crankiness of MJ ..well you could say he is terrified of her.

When Peter sat inside, he was looking at a miniature house inside. The leather upholstery was soft like a bed that could be easily slept it. Even the car had its old theater inside along with a mini refrigerator.

He stared at awe at the lavishness that hung around.

"I know right Pete. It seems just like a small room. Well, Harry wants the best for us. I wonder how's he doing" said MJ thoughtfully.

Peter and MJ spent in quietness trying to savor the bliss that hung around in the vehicle. It was soothing.

He didn't ever hear any foreign sound from outside. They just slide through the blazing New York traffic without realising a thing. They didn't even realize when the driver arrived at their destination. The ride was super smooth.

As they stepped out of the vehicle together, Peter noticed a bulk of a man in a well tailored suit. As they approached him. It indeed turned out to be Harry.

Harry looked like a younger version of his father. He had dark circles under his eyes but nevertheless his face broke into a smile when he saw them. He was sad no doubt but there was some kind of a renewed vigor about him. He had grown taller than Peter , almost a foot. He had packed more muscles over the past few years.

Just then Peter head started to buzz, it was some kid of a light buzz that hovered like a bunch of angry bees. Well he had never experiences this in his head before. Well his spider-sense was strong enough warning him of imminent threat or danger so obviously it was not his spider sense ...it was something else. He gave up pondering ...obviously it was not his spider-sense, so what could go wrong ...right thought Peter.

Harry's overall frame was magnificent. He looked like a model human with amped up ..everything.

Peter and MJ hugged him and they paid their condolence for his fathers demise.

"Its good that he's gone. I have seen his condition worsen over the past few years. He had trouble breathing. It was torture for him. I knew that he wasn't going to make it ..at least he was free now. God rest his soul! " said a lachrymose Harry.

But the buzzing in Peter's head continued to disturb him ...he knew something was wrong but he couldn't place it.

Still he decided to ignore it. He was with his old friend after so long ..just the three of them ...nothing else mattered.

Peter finally smiled as he felt safe mentally and physically. He was swelling with good thoughts ..pleasant thoughts that he was deprived so far... he seemed so lost to have found his way back among his friends ...he was only too glad.

All of them sauntered into their private elevator as they made their way into Harry's private pent house...

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	3. Chapter 3

Author's note – I am thankful for your reviews. So you know just keep'em flowing. I really appreciate it

* * *

When Peter entered the penthouse he could see people. People of age groups specially between 40s to 50s. All of them were in black suits grieving for Harry's deceased father and as for ladies they had some kind of long sleeved vintage long sleeved tops and skirt just like Olive Oyl. By the look of their serious and no bull-shit faces and the way they dressed gave all away... almost everything. Peter could tell that they were really rich people.

Peter heaved a sigh of relief thanking himself for deciding to wear dark clothes to or else he would have a real joke on himself...

Peter felt insignificant. He saw the look on MJ's face and he could see that she was avoiding the people too. Even MJ's face was contorted. Both of them really needed get some fresh air. It was too much for the both of them to pretend their part as if they were trying to do something significant other than walking around with Harry.

Peter's buzzed all along every time he looked at Harry.

 _"Weird, this has been happening as soon as I got down from the car." thought Peter._

 _"Is some thing wrong with me?"_

Right then Harry came up to them." Hey lets get out of here. This is more depressing than I ever expected it to be" whispered Harry in a hush-hush manner.

Peter and MJ were only too glad. They excused themselves and followed Harry's lead out of the party.

They quietly entered an extravagant posh restaurant that was around the corner of his pent-house adjacent to the Central Park.

The maître d' gave Harry a heart warming welcome as if he had discovered his long lost brother..

"Ah Mr Osborn. The same usual place.. I hope" He had brilliant white teeth and he had a rich British accent.

He guided tall the three of them to a table and made sure they were comfortable...

Peter was not. Seeing opulence of the room made him cramp with discomfort. It was something that was new to him and to make matter worse.. he didn't have enough money that would never satisfy ... even a percent of this glutton of a restaurant...

They seated themselves for a table of four.

"Sorry guys for boring you.. Lets have something, right ...as we get to start talking to each other. I am paying. So don't you dare hesitate.. " said Harry cheerfully.

Peter calmed . His pockets already had large holes in them not like that of Harry. His pockets were deep .. Deep enough to buy this lavish restaurant right here itself.

Immediately the waiter stood beside them.

"Your order, sir" said the waiter. Even he was meticulously dressed. Had a smile on his face. He was dressed in a white tux with a bow-tie on. .. hair gelled and combed to perfection. Not even a single strand was out of place.

" MJ , Peter what would you like to have?"

"A chop suey would do " said MJ thinking hard and trying to sound confident. The shrillness in her voice was a complete giveaway. Peter chuckled softly and Harry unsuccessfully tried to hide his grin.

"What?" said MJ...

"nothing.. nothing at all... Peter what about you?"

"A blueberry pancake" said Peter calmly. Blueberry pancake had been his favourite since his childhood. And Peter liked free meals... well who doesn't?

"And as for myself I would like a lamb salad with fragola topped with olives"

"Coming right up" said the waiter as he silently slid away without making any noise.

"Harry what was that?" said MJ incredulously...

"What?" asked Harry thinking what they might be hinting at

"Dude, that was some shitty dope they make here for you", said MJ giving a sarcastic chuckle.

"Come on .. I am helpless here. This was what my father got me hooked up to.. He always told me to maintain a sound mind and body. Of course body should be you temple... it should never betray you when you will need it the most. ...Sorry.. I have started to blabber again haven't I.. spare me...

God have mercy.. its been so long isn't it ...this year has really been difficult for me. How was yours MJ.. Peter? Tell me all about it?

"Harry, well I was in Philli and I had the time of my life. I enjoyed there so much... There is literally too much for someone to complete in a single lifetime ... maybe I am overstating it but still its worth... and I had never ever had such a serious eye opener. And for yourself where were you all this time?" said MJ before Peter could open his mouth.

"Good for you MJ. I was in California, I would have visited you if I had really known that you were in Philli." said Harry

Peter saw how evenly they were gelling with each other. Peter kept listening to them as they made conversations about various topics. Peter felt left out once again except occasional laughter that both of them shared. Peter joined along with them right at the middle sounding very awkward indeed. He thought that he would be able to reconnect with his old friends but this was not exactly that he had in mind. No.. No.. no he didn't want the same gap to flourish all over again. Peter tried desperately to contribute something or even tried to change areas of their discuss but everything fell on deaf ears . They only nodded to what he said or sometimes completely ignored him contributing very little to their areas of discussion

Well he didn't see this coming. And also with his constant buzzing made it even more difficult to understand what ever they were discussing so enthusiastically. Peter was getting really pissed ..this head of his... What's wrong with it?. It was disturbing him and to make things worse he had completely been alienated from his friends once again.

As they spoke he could see a spark between them MJ and Harry. He didn't expect himself to flout out ... out of their friendship so far. He knew he was being selfish ...but still he didn't want to be left out. May be she liked him. Maybe she wanted to He wanted them to fill up the gap in his heart... not be left out all alone feeling insecured just like before...

After spending almost an hour along with sitting and listening to topics that was never his particular his area he decide to leave them alone... His was bored beyond his imagination.. He felt his frustration slowly building and taking over and little did he know when that might take over. He had never this hopelessness take over him before... well not like this. It was like a darker aspect of himself trying to tear through his mental defence. It was his corrupt nature that was trying to take over him...

Peter felt a violent urge to get out... He concentrated on his scrambled eggs and pancakes as MJ and Harry spoke about topics that he was really uncomfortable.. regarding girlfriends boyfriends and of course sex...

Peter didn't want to contravene the thing that had slowly flourished before his very own eyes ... Heck. He wanted to steer clear .. now more than ever.. Let have their sweet time together.. he didn't want to sour it for them ...

Peter politely felt for his cell phone tucked away on his back pocket ... took it out and checked the time. It had been only thirty minutes but it seemed like forever.

Peter had a sudden idea of faking a call... which might turn to be a token out of there.. He placed the phone on his ear and pretended to take a call from one of his class friends.

"Hey Tom. What's up?... What ? AL right alright ... When do I come? ... Right now ? ... It might be difficult for me... Okay .. okay ... I am coming then... " said Peter after leaving sufficient gaps to make his conversation realistic.

Both of them looked at him dubiously.

"Peter, what was that all about? Asked MJ quizzically. He knew that she heard him exchange that call between Tom."

But Peter decided to play it.

"I am so sorry Harry, MJ. I must really be going. It was that a thing that I had promised to Tom but it can't wait any longer now. I owe him big time.", Peter said as apologetic as he could be. His desperation was really allowing him to be good in acting moving his eyebrows and twitching his lips just like a normal guy would if there was something really serious.

MJ narrowed her eyes at Pete. She knew he was he was up to no good.. just finding a way to get out of their way. But for some reason she chose to ignore it.

" Okay. I get it Pete..." said Harry really meaning to understand what exactly he was trying to convey.

" Thanks guys. I will be seeing both of you soon. Again I apologise for leaving in such a tough time like this ..." said Peter as he hurried towards the exit. He had to make it real for people to believe that he was really in a hurry..

"Don't worry. Its fine really. Well I am really glad you could make up some time and spend some out with me and MJ... and Peter be careful and try not to get mugged." aid Harry laughing sarcastically.

Peter gave a thumbs up sign to both of them and smiled at himself.. "what if that really happens? I have never been robbed before. I mean what are the odds.?". Peter laughed as he walked out of the restaurant.

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He saw that their was no weird buzzing anymore. _Maybe my senses were on overdrive. I rely on them too much t_ hought Peter.

Peter walked silently into the cool evening light as he made way to the central park. The last time he had come here was with his uncle Ben. It had been so long since then.

He entered the park through one of its eighteen entrances when he was greeted with a sudden gush of wind compiled with pollen and several fragrances of trees and flowers. He knew that most of the smell were still familiar to his enhanced olfactory receptors. He could easily place them in Shakespearean Garden. Shakespearean garden had an assortment of the most desired trees and shrubs that he liked . Thistle, rosemary, primrose, mandragora, camomile etcetera. He quietly made his way into the Shakespearean garden allowing himself to be full aware of his surroundings. He could hear ants living in colonies right beneath his feet, locusts and crickets making cricketing noises all the way.

Then the moonlight filtered its way gently through the canopy transforming the garden in to a silver fortress... of some sort ..

This calmed him.. soothed his mind .. and somehow elevated him. He spent some more time enjoying the beautiful masked foliage. He could still see the flowering of crab apple trees in the dying evening sunlight. He felt so good and for a moment drifted away unto himself. He just didn't want to worry about anything. He was living at the moment...

He made his way out of the Garden of the Heart and made his way into the the little bridge at The Pond. This was the second most important place for Peter. He was stood himself at the centre of the bridge watching the moss covered water. The evening orange sunlight fell on the water and gave the impression of a calm but a very fiery red like a dragon's tongue . It reminded him of how soothing water can be but waves of the same water... in an ocean could prove to be life threatening.. It was almost like seeing this bodily entity in a completely different perspective like a spectre. He shuddered...

Soon it was dark. The last few rays of the dying light managed to tear through the canopy of trees below Peter stood silently admiring the view. The last few lances of light were caste down as the inky violet sky mingled with the diminishing redness.

He spent some more time roaming in the Willman rink, carousel, chess and checkers and finally exited the park through the 65th and to the Broadway.

There was a sudden drop in temperature before he could realise...

Shit it was cold outside... He quickly flipped out his cell phone and took a look at the time.

 _Ah hell._ He said to himself. It was 8:00 pm already.

 _Time really_ flies Peter said to himself.

Peter jogged up to the nearest alleyway and jumped towards the wall. He clung on the wall .. crawled until he could find a safe place where he could change up..

In his spidey costume. He took a leap reached the terrace of a nearby building. He made a superhuman leap and swung his way towards Broadway. ...

He swung around trying to find some hooligans to bust .. or even some petty snatch and run thief. He kept swing towards 54th street. As he neared Manhattan, he could see the colossal Oscorp tower standing proudly.

He despised the building so much . He simply hated it. That was the place were Captain Stacy lost his life but the irony was that the same building gave him his amazing powers. Even his father worked there... He knew that he liked it .. even at some point he had also considered to take up a job right their to douse his scientific curiosity but because of the stupid and unchecked experiments it conducted he hated it.

It was true that he had this uncanny knack of science and experimenting stuff but he knew would never be able to quench his thirst after getting this responsibility on his head. He had to become careful just for the sake of protecting people to be result of other failed experiments. He had a good mind to sue Oscorp but he had practically nothing on them...

He passed the Oscorp tower...

Spidey made his way to the highest available crime area. He was really in a mood. He was craving for a little good old fashioned action right now. He was burning with energy.

Well this is something that he finally wanted for real. Since the world recognises spider-man rather than Peter Parker in it.. its well and obvious that he should go for the costumed vigilante. Maybe then he might feel a little good... Yes this is what he really needed to fill his heart. The answer had been right in-front of him and he couldn't figure it out...

 _Ignore everyone .. Maybe he is really a waste of space and spiderman isn't... he thought._

As he swung across several alley ways, he heard a distinct cry. It was shrill and hurt. That was one thing he just couldn't resist .. a woman crying ... it makes him boil. He always had this very extremely protective mentality towards all woman. He couldn't bear their scream. Good or bad... his only primary instinct that fires up is to help them... no matter what.

Spidey hurried. He swung with a renewed vigour fuelled by this rage. His adrenaline and rage make it a very deadly combination. ... He swung and directed himself to the cry. The he approached nearer he could deduce more and more . They woman was a girl maybe somewhat could be around his age..

As he kept moving, the voice was filled with pain .. true pain.. shrieking at the top of her lungs. It was a blood curdling scream. It was so tortured and sad.

This was really messing him up. He had to go fast .. Faster... faster he travelled swooping and dashing with all his prowess.

Finally he was just below the source of the crying girl. He gazed down ...

He was frozen ... air didn't move around him any more. The girl was a blonde. There were pieces of clothes strewn all over the place... Peter could make out that she didn't have anything on ...

She had nothing on her upper body except her brassieres. Her tank top was torn and was a six feet away from her

And as for the lower part of her body, her underwear was completely exposed even though her legs were covered just partially enough..

He would recognise that girl any where... Those peculiar blond hair and the way her bangs would fall over her forehead if she wasn't so traumatised and filled with hopelessness... with fear ... with regret. She looked at Peter and looked straight past him... into his soul. Pleading him.. he had never seen her eyes so go cold... and yet it was so familiar ... It was almost like he could make up her lips say " _Peter... help me"_

 _It was Gwen...Gwen Stacy_

That was when he came tumbling back into reality. He found Gwen sprawled on the alleyway with her face planted on the ground. Her hair all messed up and rough. He could see her tank top torn up exposing the straps of her braziers. The makeup that she had on was completely messed up . Her tear stained face and lips smeared with red lipstick said to Spidey so much more..

It pained Peter.. to see Gwen.. so strong willed ... the consummate survivor... the smart girl in class who always stood for him... being broken down ... robbing her of her dignity.. He knew then that he had to be for Gwen.

His darker side lashed out at him like a whip .

He snarled .

Spidey left the let go of his webbing right there itself and made a 100 metre drop right to the ground.

It was sick. Peter could feel his muscles and bones straining under the sudden impact.

And then he dashed forward towards the attacker. The one who was taking on Gwen. His strides so great. He was running and jumping at the same time. His mind seethed with red rage. He wanted to break that man .. break his body frame.. make it beyond recognition . Tear his head out.

As he approached the attacked propelled himself forward with as much strength he could aimed at his stomach.

POW..

The man staggered and fell down. Still he got up.

It was as though he didn't feel a thing ... although the area of impact on his stomach had made a depression and there was a small bone sticking out of his of his belly.

He was a just a lowlife hag probably on drugs or something... He even couldn't make the pain. His eyes were glazed all over. He had a very pale and dirty skin. He had scratches all over his filthy hands and feet. The man wore a torn shirt and a pair of jeans. His eyes were those of a maniac.

Spidey's mentality was beyond compassion ... he even hated himself for being so dumb and allowing people see his dumber side.. He finally let that go ... no remorse...

Devil tore through him...

Spidey jumped at him and this time he gave a solid round house kick by propelling himself forward with his web line to attain extra velocity

TWACK ...

This time it was too much for the feeble man to take on. He body flew mid air ... travelled up to ten feet and touched the pavement ... his body dragged on for another five feet ... Such was the force of the impact.

Before spidey could hit hurt him more.. He ears fell on the distant melancholy voice of Gwen crying .. pleading Peter to stop..

He froze .. Spidey came to his senses... He left that mangled "nobody" right there without giving a second thought. He ran towards Gwen... pulled off his mask ..

Seeing Gwen in such a pathetic condition tore him...

Gwen ...

Gwen ..the quintessential woman... one of the most strongest person he had ever met in his life was pleading him... Peter's eyes filled with tears as he sat down beside her and gently picked up Gwen's body...

She was hiccupping... she was traumatised... She was babbling .. trying desperately to make sense ... tears ran down her face...

Peter tried to make her sit...

She was trembling all over...

Peter took out his own shirt from his own backpack and desperately tried to cover her up. She was stuttering... She was shaken to the very core...

Peter held her in her arms trying to comfort her..

She was hysteric...

Peter hugged her... holding her close .. comforting her... allowing his warmth, vigour, power to seep into her... trying to quieten her.

"Shhh... Shhhh. Shhh. I am here ...now I am here " consoled Peter.

"Peter, don't leave me, don't let go..." she was crying.. her mouth distorted and clutched his spandex tunic trying desperately to hang on it as though it were her only lifeline .. her only key to her survival.. a human's most basic and primal instinct...

He comforted her .. ran his hand through her hair give her a backbone.. a moral support.. to which she could completely rely on.

Finally when she was calm enough ... he softly nudged her and took a good look at her face.

She was sad .. morose... seeing her plight made him cry too... but somewhere deep in her eyes he found a glitter of hope.. happiness .. upon being so close to her..

She smiled and her as she smiled at him. And they hugged... Those were tears of joy that were coming out of their eyes...

Peter calmed his voice and with a smile . "Gwen, lets get you checked up ... there is a hospital nearby .. we will get you sorted out ..." trying to sound confident but even his voice quivered all the way ..

"no no take me to my place ... " Gwen said in a very small voice but enough resolve in her to convince Peter..

"Okay then ... hang on" picking Gwen up gently like a fragile china doll that might break any time...

Gwen wrapped her arms around Peter and got in a comfortable position.

He shot a line of web and up he went ... to her place...

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Peter made way to her bedroom that was nearby to the fire-exit and placed her gently on her bed. He could hear no one inside her home and so he assumed that no was there inside.

He looked at her hand and her ivory delicate hands were covered with smut and there were bruises all over her.

Peter rushed up to the Med -kit that they had in the washroom and brought it near her.

He slowly cleaned her wounds removed the dirt and filth that covered her arm with the help of a piece gauge.. He applied antiseptic lotion to the areas of her hand where ever she had an open wound and finally dressed it up..

She suddenly grabbed him and pulled his arm and brought it closer to her.. He could see her eyebrows strained and pained .

He could see that she was still crying ... her mouth distorted.. She wanted someone desperately to be near her to comfort her...Peter sat beside her ...placed the med kit down on the floor ...with her hand entwined between his fingers. He could sense her pulse .. the violent thudding of her heart,, the terrifying ordeal that she had gone through... and how Peter was so glad to have been near her ... to protect her...

And then it suddenly dawned on him ... as clear as daylight. He wanted her more than ever ... nothing else mattered to him anymore.. He didn't care if they were ever going to be together but he made a vow in his mind to look out for her. He picked up her hand and rubbed his hand on his to comfort her...

He had his slowly placed himself on her bed and places Gwen's head on his chest.

The ordeal took a toll on her both mentally and physically. She was tired alright but he could see her restlessness... She forced her eyelids shut but they were constantly moving ...

Peter moved his hand across her forehead comforting her... relenting tenderness ...

Then he could see the movement in her eyelids slowly diminish with the passage of every second...

Soon she was snoring

Peter looked at her face. She was calm ... quite and on Peter. He concentrated on her heartbeat and the soft weight that bore down on his chest ... It was a sort of pressure on his body that calmed him ... calmed his devil...

Before he knew anything, he placed his head softly above Gwen's and faded into a sweet darkness.. as if it had been reckoning him for so long... smothering him with tranquillity...

It felt somehow it felt softer than any pillow he had ever placed his head on..

He had the best sleep in weeks...

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	4. Chapter 4

Author's note - Again I would like to thank all reviewers wholeheartedly for motivating me to go... on especially Highlander348 for giving me ideas that I could work on. Thank you everyone and tap away whatever you need to say. I am just an comment away :) :)

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Tring...Tring...

The school bell alarm woke him with a start.

Peter woke up with a start. He opened his eyes ... squinting in an attempt to prevent the mellow sunlight to fall on to his eyes, trying his best to adjust to the surroundings. As his vision became clearer, he found himself seated on a chair, his backpack on a table. He rubbed his eyes thinking himself to be hallucinating. Took a forced breath, to clear his mind and opened his tired eyes to the shinning world.

He was still seated on the chair and found his backpack on his desk in front of him.

 _"What happened last night?" he thought to himself._

He opened his backpack with a frown and found Gwen's torn shirt and her jump suit.

Then it all came back crashing into his mind. Of course ...

Gwen had gone through a terrible ordeal the previous night. She was assaulted by some low life scoundrel and Peter was there just in time to take care of him. He saved Gwen. He brought her to her home and tucked her to sleep.

Now he was fully awake. He sat upright and pondered about Gwen.

 _"Is she okay?" he thought._ She had to be...

Now he remembered.

 _He came to his senses when the pearly rays of the sun fell on the blinds of Gwen's bedroom. Peter saw Gwen in exactly the same position he last saw her before he drowsed off to sleep. His chest muscles were all cramped over due to lack of blood. Gwen was sleeping on his chest. And he had to do his best to make sure that she didn't get up. Peter felt for her hands. They were warm red and alive. She was alright for now. Peter slowly picked up her head maintaining the same height as his chest was, with his palm and with the other he desperately tried to reach for the pillow that was just beside him. He shot a web from his arm and pulled it towards him. Then he carefully placed it right on the place where he had been lying and slowly set her head right at the center. She looked peaceful and beautiful. The way the sun caught her face to the morning sunlight made her look like an angel. Peter carefully tucked her under sheets and made sure she was really comfortable. Peter picked up his backpack and made sure nothing was out of place. He had to make sure so that it did not give an impression about someone loitering around in her room. Because that was the last thing he needed._

 _He placed the med-kit back into the same shelf in the washroom and picked up his mask that lay on the floor. He slowly walked up to the open window. Peter breathed in the fresh air that caught his olfactory receptors. He had to go before her mother decides to come in and check in on her. He took one last look at her before putting the mask back on. He had a sudden feeling that today was going to be a day ... filled with numerous possibilities._

 _A lot could happen. Keeping his mind halcyon, and wishing for the very best of all possibilities he took off with a smile beneath his costumed head.._

And that was how he ended here well ahead of schedule. This was really gonna surprise everyone...especially MJ. Since he had never been to Tom's place. He would have to make stuff up right as soon as he comes to school.

He couldn't let all of that go awkward.

He picked up his back pack and slung it over his shoulders. He needed to freshen up grab some food or else he was sure that his stomach would cave in.

He entered his school's cafeteria. It was scanty. It was actually difficult for him to believe that at this very place there would be hordes of students talking loudly, making fun, getting in food fights( which was of course very occasional). He got himself a coffee and a few waffles.

He gulped down his coffee and took a bites of those waffles.

He spent the majority of his time thinking what it be like to face Gwen. Will the recent events spur something new in between them. Peter knew that it would not be too bad but then he must be prepared for anything. Maybe he thought, just maybe, he had some hope to just even out things that had gone haywire previously. Maybe they still had a chance. Maybe he had another shot with her. This is the least that he felt, he should deserve for saving Gwen at the nick of time. It was not like he wanted something.. not publicity.. he didn't want to be taken for granted...

Peter the headed back quietly back to his class with a hurricane of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

He waited for Tom to show up. After he showed up, he made arrangements with him enough to give himself an alibi. Content, he went back to back to his class and seated himself in his old chair, eagerly waiting for his classmates to arrive.. or maybe even too excited to meet Gwen. He could hardly keep his legs from shaking...

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The first half passed. Peter didn't get a glimpse of Gwen. Soon it was lunch time. Peter seated himself in his usual place with the same plate with the same coke and fries. It was the same thing repeating all over again.

 _Maybe I am wrong. Nothing feels out of place. Nothing has ever changed thought Peter._

The television that they had in their cafeteria buzz up. It had the local news channel on.

The news report said-

 _News reports confirmed that the assaulter of the late Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy was allegedly attacked by a common thug. His identity has been confirmed as Bail Ulrich. He had also been convicted previously for aggravated assault and Larson. Apparently our friendly- neighborhood Spider-man was not friendly with our attacker. It had been revealed right now that during their face off Spidey had gone way overboard. The man now has 15 fractures and has said to have dislocated his shoulder. He also suffers from minor concussion and does not remember anything that had really happened to him during the past twenty-four hours. An official warrant has been issued against Spider-man. He is wanted for give a statement for justifying his actions._

Now that was new. Peter thought his alter ego to be somewhat perfect. Someone that all of New York could look upto. Thanks to his emotional overflow, he had to ruin that as well. Well, he had to work on that somehow and come clean. Maybe his image as the web slinging superhero was at stake. He had to improve it, turn it around. His life was already a mess. He thought that he had successfully created another persona of himself that he could proudly look up to.

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Gwen didn't come to school for the following week. She had gone through a very traumatic experience that most girls of her age dare not ever think off. Peter knew that he could never really fathom what was she actually going through. He had a good mind to visit her apartment all by himself and look out for her.

But no Peter couldn't do that. It would almost be like stalking her. The last thing that was on Peter's mind was to scare her as a stalker. She already had enough on her platter. He had to let her take some time off. Blow off some steam. Just for her own safely. Allow her be on her own.. spend some quality family time. Give her enough time to put into place once and for all together again. Maybe that was the best course of action for her.

For her well being ... for her safety.

Things have not improved for him ever since. Even his job as the wall-crawler was going through a rough patch. He had slowly given up interest in doing the one thing that he liked the most other than racking his grey matter for something scientific. He was completely out on ideas. Nothing to research on.

He also saw less of MJ. He seldom saw her after school occasionally at recess. Aunt May always told him about MJ waiting for him for hours but she left either getting bored or other chores to run. Peter had nothing to do. He slipped back into his room and did odd stuff now. Refilling web cartridges... tweaking so that the range of his web shooters were more.

His web shooters are a product of own genius intellect. He arranged the cartridges from Oscorp

When Peter had first designed those web shooters he already had a few ideas that he wanted to implement them. One of them was shooting web balls that had the capacity to completely immobilize a moving 1000 pound truck at break neck speed. Another was to design stinger shots that could discharge a 500 v right at the point of impact.

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On the next week, Peter was back to square one. He was again late to his class.

"Mr. Parker. This is starting to turn out to be serious now. You have never been to class on time. If things don't change I am afraid that the school will have to pull the scholarship that you are on. " warned Mr Sanders

"I am sorry. Mr. Sanders. I..."

"Mr Parker, I am not to a lorry to carry your sorries" There were snickers everywhere in the classroom at this comment.

"Any way you have your detention. You wouldn't want to miss your detention classes. Things would begin to get very rough for you then..."

That was the last thing that Peter heard . His mind travelled drifted elsewhere. He was vexed. He needed time to figure things out. But most it was Gwen. He blocked everything else. He looked at his friends and from his inner mind he could see their dull faces staring right back at him, as if trying to understand what on earth is his problem.

"Puny Parker, you need a shove up your ass. My legs are itching. Care to help me relieve myself", said David saying it loud enough for just Peter and his jocks to hear.

"BWAHAHAHA" guffawed his friends as he high fived Jillian, Remo and Flash.

"People, no more picking on Parker here. Or else would you care to join him in detention as well?" asked Mr Sanders with an edge of hostility.

The snickered softly as the three of them exchanged glances and made faces at him.

Of course , it had to be Flash again. Well this was an indirect approach was different...

 _"Well done Flash... Nicely rehearsed. Oh! How I long to kick your butt to relief the itching that I had been having for so long." thought Peter as slowly walked up to his desk and slumped on his seat._

Even those childish jokes were beginning to get on his nerves. He knew that he should remain calm and not risk of doing something stupid thereby compromising his own identity. But he really couldn't help it at times.

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His class hours once again drifted before his own dreamy eyes.

Peter skipped lunch that day. He thought of skipping his classes that day as he had only literature classes in the second half. He suddenly realised that he had detention classes that he couldn't afford to loose.

" _Ok. I will be there to attend them." he thought._

He decided to slip through the emergency exit. As he neared the door , he heard a commotion. It was a cheerful one.

Peter heaved a sigh.

He just can't keep this inquisitive nature of his at check. Everytime he sees a commotion or finds anything curious to his mutated mind, he has this sudden urge, to know the matter... what's happening. Even if it is not at all his concern, he seems to fall right in the middle of it all. And most of his problems start there onwards. Peter already used to have these urges to know things... but these urges have been multiplying within him exponentially since the spider bite. He cursed this nature of his as he walked on to the centre of brouhaha.

Just then, among the constant squabble, chattering, speaking, Peter pushed his way around, his conscience brimming with curiosity. As was making his way through, he could partly make out stiffles and cries of joy. Peter was now literally on the brink of an emotional breakdown. As he tried to squeeze his way through the crowd, he could make out a familiar frame of a girl he had known.

 _Peter thought " Please let it be Gwen. Please..."._

He had to get a better look.

He moved his head around and stood on his toes trying desperately to find a gap between the other students.

She had the same golden head and the way her bangs fell over her forehead made Peter

 _It was Gwen. It really was Gwen Stacy._

He could make out girls and boys alike pitying her and trying to console her but Peter of all knew better. Nothing could ever heal that scar that had tainted her near perfect image. He could almost see the pleading between those eyes to take her away from all the squalor.

Still with a forlorn smile on her face, she faced her friends.

Peter, for once, was glad that she had finally come to school. He could now see more of her at least and make sure that she was alright if not be with her.

Peter smiled. It was a genuine one without any dark thoughts .. without any malice.

God, he could feel his facial muscles moving around aligning themselves against Peter's original expression replacing the scowl and the sour pity face he always wore around.

Right then his eyes met Gwen's. It was as if he was seeing a new persona of Gwen.

She still the Gwen Stacy he knew but there something about her. She looked soft ... somewhat looked vulnerable.

Gwen smiled at Peter. The one smile that was to die for. For Peter, it was his million dollar smile ... the same one that she first gave him when they had met. That had what triggered the spark between them then..

It was like reliving those same moments once again. Peter had this sudden overwhelming power confidence seeped into him like red wine filling his body with renewed vigour. Giving him purpose. Something to really look forward to in the near future. That was when he realised that he had this thing with her that could never ever go away no matter how much he suppressed down his heart. The more he suppressed the more it lashed out at his like an untamed wild spirit . .. trying desperately to give him purpose that he had been rejecting it for so long. Peter realised this was his destiny... his future. It was with Gwen.

Gwen Stacy.

Peter looked for any ounce of courage that he had been residing in him. He gathered all of them and pushed through the remaining four or five layers of people to face Gwen. He had to be sure. He couldn't let his mind tricks on him... get any signal from her. He knew that this was not particularly smooth of him but he knew that it was worth trying.

Soon he was face to face with her.

Her friends, classmates all paved a path for Peter. They knew that he had a history with her.

Peter Parker was a dorky nerd but people knew that he was very serious with her. They respected him for that.

That was what Peter thought.

But the main reason is the formidable relation that she kindled with all her classmates. They were protective of her .. maybe a bit too overprotective. They respected her enough to not to make fun of her choices. She had this mutual respect that put her under a "no-bitching" list.

Soon Peter stood right infront of her and her friends giggling and smiling trying to give both of them space. The crowd slowly dispersed behind them. The very thought of leaving school flew right out of his head the minute he saw Gwen She was clad in her usual ponytail, formal shirt , a half sleeveless sweater and a skirt with penny loafers as her preferred choice of footwear with scanty makeup.

But she still had some bandages on her wrist that she tried desperately to hide.

Peter knew he had to start talking before the uncomfortable silence makes it more awkward and difficult to start up a conversation before his mustered up courage fails him for real.

"Hey Gwen. ", said Peter thinking hard,

"Hi Peter. Long time isn't it?" said Gwen, as colour rose to her cheeks.

"Not that long, if you know what I mean.."

Peter felt his cheeks grow hot. He flustered.

 _"Way to go Pete.. that was very mature indeed and way ahead of inappropriate.." thought Peter._

Peter didn't know how to respond. He thought of asking her how she had been, but that was what most people would ask her. He had to try a different approach... he wanted her to see him different from the rest...that he had to become someone else. He had to become something else. Someone who had instilled confidence that she could look up to without the slightest doubt. Peter wanted to be such a guy.

"I am sorry .. I didn't want that to come out so bluntly . Shit, I am a total screw up. I am going hyper ain't I?" said Peter feeling more and more angry at himself.

He knew , he was loosing it. The only chance that he might have made is slowly slipping out of his hand. Peter was so focussed on scoring this thing straight and right that he completely lost track of what was appropriate.

Gwen took a step in front of Peter.

"Peter, I am really glad that you had come swinging along the other night. Who knows what could have happened right there. "

Now this was good for Peter. He knew that. But he was rusty. Geekiness kicking in every time he tried to thing of something creative or even sensible in his thinking standards.

Peter instinct was telling him to take a take a step back but his mind was headstrong. He stood right there. He was using ever once of his strength to keep a straight face from becoming distorted but soon he could feel beads of sweat roll down leisurely down his forehead. He knew that it was not the heat. It was her.

"Yeah i am glad to have found you right on time."

"So what's been going on these days? How have the classes been going?"

"Nothing that you can't cope up but feel free to ask if need assistance of any sort." said Peter trying to sound formal. Maybe he did.

Gwen Smiled at him

"Yeah I will, thanks"

Peter could feel things smoothen. He wasn't finding much difficulty. His pistons firing up smoothly enough to think safely.

"After you ..." said Peter as he tried to gestures her forward towards the stairs.

"Well, thank you. Peter" said Gwen. Kept her head down and allowed her bangs to cover the side of her face. She was blushing pretty bad, Peter could make that out for sure. He could even see her lips stretch out to the side of her face.

 _"So far so good" thought Peter._

 _"Maybe I am finally doing it" he chuckled to himself as he tailed her back to her class._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter forgot to bunk classes and stayed throughout his literature class hours. After the final bell, he thought maybe he should check on Gwen.

He found her sitting in the school library. Her mind completely engrossed what ever she was trying to read. It was a advanced book on biochemistry.

Peter approached her.

"Hey Gwen, You are not leaving ?" he asked.

"Oh no, I have to finish catching up. Seems like I have to work overnight" said Gwen chuckling nervously.

"Hey listen, I have this detention class that I have that I have scored. Why don't you wait for me right here. We will go together. I will drop you off."

"Still scoring detention classes I see. Typical of you. But you know what, you don't have to do that.. really, I will be safe this time. I won't follow that path I assure you."

"No Gwen, wait for me. I won't let that happen. You dare not leave without me. I won't take no for an answer. You get me".

Something in Peter triggered his protective nature fiercely.

Even Gwen seemed rather taken aback.

Gwen gave Peter a curious and confused smile. "Ok Ok alright I wait for you."

So after making arrangements Peter went on to his class, absolutely certain that she won't leave without him.

Peter thought himself to be the best protection that she could possibly have. She needed something concrete to stand up to. He was her best bet just like Spider-man was to Peter.

Just as he left the library, he saw MJ. MJ as usual waved at him wildly. MJ was just like the playful counterpart, the easy going version of Peter. Petr always found it difficult not to actually smile when she was around.

He waved back at her. She gave a hug.

"You alright? I heard the commotion outside during lunch break. You should know that I am really glad that Gwen is fine." said MJ with a slight tenderness and understanding in her voice.

"And I have heard that you making moves around with her. Good for you I didn't think you would ever be able to that after you went all dark and moody." retorted MJ being slightly cryptic at the same time.

It was her expression. It was so different. Was it jealousy? He couldn't place it.

"MJ I am really sorry. I know that I have cutting myself out. But I promise you it won't happen anytime soon. I promise you that. And by the way how's Harry doing? I know I shouldn't have left him when he needed both of us" said Peter trying to sound apologistic.

"Well, he felt bad at first. But soon we started talking you like we were actually ... um...you could pouring our hearts out".

MJ blushed slightly.

"Does that mean you and Harry?.."

Peter tried to make a gesture by intertwining his fingers.

"I don't know yet.. but I could see it.. maybe. We would make a great couple, don't you think?" She asked excitedly. Peter could see that she was genuinely happy.

"Yeah of course".

Peter smiled.

"Anyway I have a date with him right now"

"Wow good for you. Listen I have got to catch my detention class or else Mr Sanders will be upset real bad."

"Ok then see you again. Bye"

Peter waved his arm at her as he picked up his pace ..

Peter knew that she meant well although she might not be around to hang around him everyday but she was like a sister to him. She knew how he felt and always had the exact right things in her mind to make Peter feel good. Peter felt blessed ...but Harry with MJ?. This he didn't understand basically because of the buzz in his head.

Well who's he to judge right?

But somehow whenever he thinks of him, he gets goose bumps and along with it the continuous buzzing in his head. He did not have that feeling for a very long time since Dr Curtis Connors. So it was something worth worrying.

He had to be careful about MJ spending too much time with Harry.

Peter kept all those thoughts aside as he jogged up to attend his detention class.

Peter went away happily to greet Mr. Sander because he knew that he would be going with Gwen then. It was not a date but it was the next best thing that he had in his life right now.

Walking side by side with Gwen.

His relationship with Gwen was the only one that had lasted quite for sometime after the sudden mishap that shook New York changing their lives for real.

Gwen was his first flame.

 _"Old flames really do die hard I guess" thought Peter._

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As Peter jogged up to attend his class. He was happy.

Happy at himself for being successful at accompanying Gwen home. He knew that this was the beginning...

This was the precursor to start to something great in his life. He could almost imagine himself to be with Gwen. Her sun kissed face beneath the evening sun ... staring at her lovely cerulean eyes made Peter ecstatic. The very thought of again smelling the air doused with her smell made his heart flutter with a very a strange feeling that he hadn't had for a very long time. May be somewhere deep in his heart he had missed it for so long that all of it was somehow.. somewhere lost in the echo. He wanted it back. He wanted all back again.

He was too happy... too good to be true. Seemed almost surreal to him after the events that took place in his life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His detention was a breeze. He nodded his head to almost everything Mr Sanders threw at him. Be it five pages of essay regarding with critical analysis on"Macbeth" added to his extra homework, he took all of it without defending or even protesting in any way.

Peter tried very hard to hide his grin... he could barely contain the excitement. He had to make a straight face.

It was torture for him .

But soon it was over.

He thanked Mr Sanders and tore out through the hallway.

Take it literally...Peter himself was surprised to see such ferocity in his thigh muscles. Its like he could leave dust behind the way he runs ...his emotional aspect making him stronger beyond his imagination. He knew that it was all in his mind. But somehow it brought out the stronger self pure brute and raw strength within him.

He sprinted through the corridor till he saw the library the sound of his footsteps echoing in the corridor. Gwen was still sitting inside and looked straight at him as his eyes scanned around for her.. She smiled. It was like she had been expecting him for quite sometime..

Peter now slowly jogged to the library. The table where Gwen had previously sat was now a stack of books neatly arranged. Peter looked at them. His eyes went wide.

 _"Did she just went through all those books.? He thought._

Goodness she was a greater bookworm than himself.

He always thought himself to be the greatest geek there is along with the highest book worm quotient ...so far, but seeing the table, he doubted if he ever even held that record . Gwen was way ahead of him... in the book worm category... not in the geeky one.

Gwen was smart. She was too smart for Peter. She was quick witted ...not like Peter.

Peter wonders how come she among all people went for puny "him" from all other jocks who were almost perfect specimens of human...(before his genetic alteration due to the spider bite of course!)

Maybe Peter shared a mutual common interest in making new scientific development and their common shared scientific intellectual prowess was what pulled them closer somehow. But this was somewhat different. He could feel it...straight in his bones.. This time he would make it work...somehow...

It was some very powerful wishful thinking.

"You done?" asked Peter.

"Yeah.."

"What was that detention all about?"

"Its just Mr. Sanders. I don't think I was living up to his expectations. "

Gwen stared at Peter.. a long hard look. Her lips were lopsided now. It was like as if she was trying to tell Peter _why are you even trying to hide your flaws?_

He are so predictable

"Ok. Alright . I hate literature. It hates me and I hate it altogether. Byron makes my blood go cold, Robert Frost makes me neurotic .."

"Ok hold on now.. You know that you are going hyper again... You haven't changed a bit have you" said Gwen with an exasperated sigh.

 _"Shithead Parker.. you are a real screw up aren't you?" Peter scolded himself_

"Guess I think I like this attitude of yours when you fumble all over .. racking your brains so hard.." said Gwen unable to contain the laughter that was building up.

It was soft like a small child. The sound of her laughter was bright and cheerful like dandelions in summer days that blossomed up on a quiet field.

"Okay then. Um, all of your stuff is packed? I see. Then lets go. Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting don't we?" said Peter as swung his backpack onto his other shoulder.

"Yeah lets do it."

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Soon they were walking slowly briskly . Peter as usual, taking time to understand what could he talk about again. Come on he couldn't be silent their entire way. He is on his path of reconciliation... on a path to do something right

He couldn't let this chance go waste.

"So Peter, what's our web slinger up to these days?" Peter was thrown off guard at this sudden remark about spider-man.

Gwen already knew that Peter Parker, the high school nerd was Spiderman.

She had invited Peter over to her place. Peter kissed Gwen at the same time revealing his identity to her. When the lizard aka Dr Connors planned on using lizard DNA to create a entire new breed of his own version of perfect species – "A world without imperfections" as he dubbed it, Gwen helped Peter to create an antidote to the lizard serum that helped him prevent an create an outragous species of life form. Gwen's father, late Captain Stacy had successfuly delivered the antidote to Spiderman but was impaled in the process. But with his dying breath he made Peter a vow to keep himself a way from Gwen's life to keep Gwen out of the action that he has to face everyday. So Peter had to stay away from her.

 _"Fuck all of it, we have a short life isn't it?" Peter always said this to himself._

He was ready to take this step on his own. He felt confident with him around nothing bad would befall Gwen. He would be absolutely certain about that.

" He's fine. Goes out occasionally if he has nothing up his platter." said peter running his fingers through his unkept hair.

"Oh. Good for you."

"Gwen I need to tell you something. Well its more of a confession. I can't hold it.". Peter couldn't believe that he had actually said that out aloud. Gwen looked at him. This time really seeing his soul.

Peter took this as his cue to continue.

"Gwen you have never left my head for a second ever since we last spoke. You must know the guilt that I have to go through everyday when I look at you. It always seems to me that I am lost cause ...as if I have failed you... it wasn't that I hated you. No, I hated every second of my time when I could have been spending time with you. And Gwen you know the pain that I went through of being away from you yet when you were so near to me nearly drove the crap out of my mind... I am sorry for being so very blunt to you. I ignored you and hurt you. Its all my fault. I have no right to say this but do you think you could forgive me."

Peter was stunned at the words flew out of his mouth. Like something was controlling him. And before he could realise, tears fell from his eyes. They were like giant droplets of water that looked as if it had waiting for so long... so long for this outbreak to happen and it could be free and unhindered from his tormented unreasonable mind and mingle itself to the rest of the earth so that it could seek solace.

Peter was sobbing like a small kid in front of her. He wanted her to know the pain that he had to endure everyday. This continual routine of saving people has been a serious ordeal for him.

No matter how much he tries to take things lightly, he just couldn't ignore the obvious facts.

Peter Parker was spider-man and except Gwen no one else knew of his secret. So Gwen was the only one to Peter could freely speak to confide in her and she had proved to be a good listener. Peter wanted her back.. desperately... desperation trying to divulge his inner self.

Gwen looked at him. She herself was on the brink of losing herself seeing Peter so vulnerable. She quickly went towards him and put her arms around him almost jumping on him.

"God, Pete how I have missed you? And of course you are forgiven. I thought you to be so irresponsible and I blamed you for my father's untimely death. But now I know. You know, it was hard for me too and after that you moved far ... far away from me and that for me was the last straw "

Gwen said it with a quiver in her voice.

Peter didn't need to analyse her that she was sorry for everything in her own way... it was all an act of karma.. everything was against them but Peter knew for them to remain together they had to fight for each other.

She hugged him hard just like the last time when he had saved her from the clutches of that mad man. It was same as before. No matter how hard she tried to play it cool and how much she tried to ignore Peter, her affections towards him had unknowingly magnified somewhere deep inside of her.. Peter could see that. Her desperation had finally let go all those strings that were pulling her... controlling her.

Peter was so glad that she had finally opened up. He could feel the vibrations that were moving from her body to his own as it tried hard to mingle with his body's resonance. It was almost like a sweet lull that was comforting in its own twisted way. The familiar way... the way she put her arms around was good for Peter

Both of them were survivors of the real original cruel world . Both Peter and Gwen had suffered great deal. And it was time for them to face it together.

Gwen slowly pulled away from Peter's grasp and looked into Peter's eyes.

A love guru was not required to tell that they were smitten over each other.

Peter and Gwen smiled. It was as if they had known each other for a long time. Like two distant lovers that had been united after years of hardships...they had finally found themselves again.

Peter thought of kissing her or was that too soon?

He didn't know. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Somehow they had found themselves and he didn't want himself to be the reason of their fall out.

She said she wanted him ..right?

But who knew.

Maybe she missed him just like good friends miss each other... not like boyfriend or girlfriend.

For Peter it was well and good. Maybe this is how they should end up.

He wanted nothing more.

"Peter" said Gwen and Peter had to reluctantly let go off her. He was staring at the black grey pavement underneath his feet.

Peter felt humiliated.

Maybe he overdid it. He took a step behind and looked at the hard cold pavement.

This very thought sickened him and made him want to disappear beneath the pavement underneath his feet.

He knew that Gwen would say something and Peter was ready to take it all in. He took a deep breath and held his breath waiting for her to speak up.

"Peter I have to go to the tower, you know I have an ongoing research about the dna and rna hybrid characteristic transfer with the other scientists that I am still working on." Gwen said with her eyes turning

"Huh..?" blurted Peter confused as ever.

"Well, this is a some kind of an on going research that we all interns have taken in" said Gwen giving him a nervous incredulous laugh and drying her eyes at the same time.

"It is some sort of a miracle cure for incurable diseases. Concept is almost similar to cross species genetic "

"Um ... Ok, then I will accompany you to the tower " said Peter with a small but an adamant tone.

"You know, you really don't have to it" said Gwen looking away from him.

" I know, please Gwen, just consider it to be a token of my own gratitude and any way I won't be able to move around all by myself if I am constantly worrying about you."

"Peter... I ...um.." . Gwen moved closer to him and that was when he felt the world fade away beside him.

His whole body ached and he could suddenly feel the hollow seething emptiness inside filling up. He was more cautious than he had ever been ... be it the faint glow of her skin beneath the orange sunlight to the way the light caught the faint blue beneath her eyes and more than anything else her mouth.

The crescent shape of it. The dying evening sunlight cast a heavenly glow on her face. Peter could almost feel the way her lips would curl around his mouth.

Peter leaned down at her and brushed his lips against her.

As momentum took on, Peter could feel the intensity of their kiss increasing many a fold. He slowly brought his palms to her face as he forced himself a bit on her. Gwen kissed back with more passion.

He knew this was the moment.

The moment of his own redemption.

Nothing else mattered to him.

Both of them kissed hotly as people around stared at them.

Gwen slowly pulled herself from Peter's grasp as she gaped to suck in the fresh air. Both of them smiled as Peter touched her forehead lightly with his .

He knew he needed her more than ever. She was his stabilizing agent for his reactive spider mind..


	5. Chapter 5

It had been three weeks now and Peter has never been this happy.

Gwen and Peter's relationship has rekindled once again but this time but there was a certain intensity that Peter had never ever experienced before. He was happy about it. He wanted to be serious with Gwen and he got that.

Both of them went to school together and Peter even followed her to Oscorp and then accompanied her home most of the time. This went on for almost every day.

xxxxxxxxxxx

It was a typical Monday morning. Peter had become more regular to his classes and automatically his grades had become consistent. But his superhero persona had taken a serious toll. He was no longer New York's "friendly neighbourhood" spider-man as he had serious gone physical with Bail Ulrich. The person who attacked Gwen right in the alleyway.

Thank god, Peter was there nearby patrolling when he found her.

She had been in a pitiable state. Seeing her so vulnerable, so weak, her clothes strewn aside, Peter couldn't think straight.

Peter's mind had seethed with black anger and he had become too physical against the guy.

He could have taken him out clean, but no, he wanted it to be dirty this time. He knew, that no matter how much he struggled to curb crime and all the crime fighting that he had done nothing ever seemed to stop. He prevented one but more and more people took up their mantle.

It was like this continuous never ending process.

He was absolutely sick of them.

They seemed to creep from somewhere deep within the shadows from those stinking garbage dumps... those filthy vermin trying to devour the innocent people of New York with nothing else better to do. Peter loathed them.

But deep within, he pitied them now seeing their condition. He knew that he was much better off them. Maybe he was too harsh on them. But it didn't matter to him anymore.

After all he was a human... a mutated one in fact.

Besides his relationship has never been better. They were moving forward with an increasing pace building their relationship with a renewed vigour. And he was happy for himself.

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It was pretty late that night.

Peter and Gwen were sprawled out his couch. Aunt May had gone outside to run errands. They were watching "The Notebook" with a large bowl of popcorn gingerly in front of them.

As the end credits rolled.

"You know what, I didn't know how I could have missed watching this movie in my life. And how come I have never heard of this before? I really liked it. You know what I could go and watch it all over again?" said Gwen grinning at him stupidly.

He could see why.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were all over her face.

Well who hated it?

Right?

The epic love story, ripe with lush and physical beauty, between Allie and Noah had surpassed themselves delivering a schmaltzy yet very romantic, emotional wallop that had truly taken his heart away.

Peter couldn't deny that.

"Yeah I know . Mary Jane suggested it. She said this was a really good movie and that we should watch it.. together."

Peter understood why she wanted both of them to watch it together. It was a movie delving on the deepest cockles of human heart that excites almost everyone ensuring an overflow of emotions that usually girls like to prefer. And most girls were a sucker for such films with extreme emotional overflow, Peter could see that.

"Mary Jane...the pretty red haired girl that you once told me about ... the one who is currently dating Harry Osborn?" said Gwen trying to sit straight on the couch trying to loosen her cramped muscles.

"Yep, that's her alright"

"Well, I think I should get close to her. She sounds pretty interesting" said Gwen as he looked at Peter and gave Peter a mischievously coy smile.

When any girl (particular your girlfriend, gives you such a smile) you know better. If she would ever try to dig something past from your life you get sudden palpitations. You don't want her to know anything embarrassing that had ever happened to you.

And that was the same thing Peter had in his mind. He racked around his mind furiously for anything embarrassing that he might have happened for which MJ might have been a real witness in the past.

"Heh.. hah .." Peter gave a nervous laugh.

Peter stared at the ceiling fan and concentrated on its rhythmic squeaking.

His mind replayed the most touching moments again. It had been long... he just couldn't place when he had actually seen such a movie that his emotions running on overdrive.

He could almost find himself in the movie as the protagonist making his moves on Gwen.

He relived the most romantic moments of that scene and he found himself blushing pretty bad. He had some of the similar fantasy of being with Gwen. Sweeping off her feet. Felt cheesy enough but still….

He knew that he should never force too much on something or else it might backfire on him someday.

That was what scared him the most.

This thing that he has with her was what that kept him strong and it was absolutely super. He had to live in the moment... enjoy it as much as he could.

"Pete, lets grab something. I am starving" Gwen said rubbing her stomach as she got up from the couch and stretched herself.

Peter and Gwen walked on to their way talking as they went. They were getting along so good. It didn't seem that they actually had fallen apart once. Things were smooth. It seemed as if they had been doing this for a long time. Just two friends hanging out sharing thoughts... discussing their common areas of interest and of course with some hot make out at times.

Peter's stomach growled when he heard the mention of food. He could feel his stomach doing flips.

Peter hadn't realised that even he did not have anything decent since breakfast.

That was when he was remembered, previously before that time what he was doing.

Ssssssssssssssssssss

Peter had gone out during his lunch break after he heard a wail of a distant fire brigade.

He looked at Gwen and saw her staring her back to him. Gwen nodded, came to him and give him a quick hug.

"Promise me, that you are going to take care of yourself."

She looked at him sternly. But there was something very reassuring about her.

"Yeah..." Peter smiled at her hoping to keep her mind at rest.

Gwen worried about him too much and yet he couldn't blame her.

Peter gave a give peck on her upper lip.

Fortunately no one saw that.

She smiled but rolled her eyes at him the same time. Gwen knew that people might be against him for what he had done. It was school and Peter and Gwen agreed on the need to show less of public affection but sometimes he couldn't help himself. Maybe a tiny peck her and then won't hurt … would it?

Peter could see the concern radiating from her. He wanted to run to her and spend more time with her but he knew that the world needed him more.

"With great power, comes great responsibility", right?

He promised himself that he would make it up to her. The world needed him more than her. He had his duties and he couldn't shun from them.

He knew Gwen understood him.

He had to go back and protect people. This was what he had been destined to do. He was no longer people's favourite but he had to build his own reputation. He had to work harder.

Ssssssssssssss

Peter slipped through the school's emergency exit and sprinted through into the street when he let his spider-senses do all the speaking. It was like as if he could track the sound of the screeching tyres of the police vehicles miles away. His mind figured out how exactly he should navigate himself to the place of the mishap as quickly as possible. Neurons firing away like the pistons of a V12 engine.

Peter quickly changed into his costume and swung beside buildings. He looked around and that was when he heard distress screams, wails and cries of people.

As he followed the commotion of people, he could see why there were people running around wildly like they had lost their minds and he couldn't blame them.

It was a residential flat of ten floors. The seventh through tenth floor were ablaze.. It was like a setup just as he had seen in a film but only this time it was very real.

A real inferno …

There were sudden continuous explosions that were blowing the sides of the building revealing the intricate complex steel frame work. He realised that at this rate the building won't remain upright for much long.

That was when he glanced down and to his relief the policemen and firemen were trying their best to clear the people. He felt thankful to them as they were doing a decent job in controlling the massive exodus of people.

He knew that this wasn't his strong aspect particularly as whatever he did or ever tried to accomplish there were usually a lot of collateral damage. He was sloppy.

That was when he heard a faint cry of a little girl. His head snapped into consciousness as he gazed at the blazing building.

Thanks to his heightened senses he could make out the pained cries emanating from her throat as she was trying desperately to draw attention of the people below. There was no one to look at her.

Fortunately Peter was there to see the girl. He had to save her. As Peter approached the failing building, there was a deafening explosion. He was almost knocked out by the blast. Still he kept moving towards the blazing inferno.

He was focussed.

He took the momentum from his web and propelled himself forward. Debris of broken cemented, smouldering pieces of wooden furniture came flying towards him as though they were fired from a shot gun. Peter found it increasingly difficult for him to enter the building unless there would be another explosion to blow a clean hole so that he could move in.

His prayers were answered all right when a huge hunk of a pillar came hurtling towards him after another deafening explosion.

Peter tensed.

He had to time it perfectly or else he couldn't afford losing his speed. It would probably cost the girl her life.

Every second mattered. Also he couldn't allow the huge mass of cement to fall all the down below as he didn't any more damage to his already tainted image.

Thanks to JJ Jameson.

He was really helping him out there other than shouting "The wall crawler's a menace...blah blah blah" about him in public.

Just as he was close enough, he put his legs forward and absorbed a quarter of the impact. He shot straight high up into the air.

"Hunh..!" Peter exclaimed as he tried to deflect it away downwards.

He looked below and knew just exactly what to do. Without further delay shot long strands of webbing from both his wrists. The web wrapped around the humongous pillar and over one tenth of a second it was completely enveloped in his web.

Peter was slowly loosing height now. He shot another web to the pillar mass that now looked like a huge gooey ball of web falling down at an accelerated speed. Shot another line from his free wrist and aimed it at fifth floor. He had to use only a fraction of his strength to bring the two webs closer to attach both the ends of the web that erupted from its wrists. The huge silvery mass lost height and was just as it was about the hit the floor, when it came to an abrupt halt.

Peter had almost descended to the level of the topmost floor. He saw her frantic arms waving at him through the hole and several cracks of the ruptured walls trying desperately trying to get his attention. Peter was losing height. Without a moment of delay, he shot another web line to the inner ceiling of the floor. And he pulled himself inside the ablaze apartment through the large hole.

At first, it was smoke was all that filled his view, then a bright glint of orange. The fire screamed and he held back a sob on his own as he witnessed the area around set in flames. The cackle of the yellow paint was all he heard. The drapes and curtains resembled ghost flying around thrashing around wildly as in a desperate attempt to escape the inferno that even it couldn't escape, There were flyers and papers set ablaze flying around like phoenixes.

It was a horrible sight.

Soot filled his lungs.

He wad having difficulty in breathing.

There was a huge hole on the floor. The building was going to fall apart any second now. He saw the girl sprawled on the floor. She was coughing hard. She was desperately trying to stand up. Her frail hands somehow supported her weight. She was shaking,

Peter had to hurry up. Or else she would pass out from excessive intake of carbon-dioxide that would put her in danger.

Peter jumped through the hole, right in to the mouth of licking flames...

sssssssssss

Peter closed his eyes as he landed on the wooden floor. It creaked horribly beneath his weight. He had to be very careful. The girl was behind a debris of broken tables and chairs as trying to devour it and it was slowly trying to reach the girl in a hope to make her a part of it.

Peter took a few steps forward and leaped forward.

His feet on the front aimed at the debris. He imagined to himself to be Bruce lee doing a super flying kick that even Bruce Lee would put his head down in shame.

His feet made contact with the debris. It exploded into a million pieces. The heat torched his legs. He could feel the extreme temperature trying to bypass his spandex costume. Thanks to his mutated genetic makeup, he body could sustain more damage and heal at astonishing rates.

Peter ignored the slight burning on his calf muscle and tore through the soot filled air. The girl just a few steps away from him. He picked up his pace and stood near the girl. He picked her up. She was unmoving . Her breath was shallow and ragged. She had difficulty in breathing.

She had taken a lot of carbon dioxide in her system. He had to take her away as fast as possible.

Peter picked up the unmoving girl . He had to find an exit point.

Around a hundred yards away diagonally, he saw a window that was still not consumed by the inferno. He could easily run through the hell fire and leap through the window.

Peter doubled up his pace and dodged , leaped and tore through he red room.

As he neared the window, he saw that it still had the glass pane intact. He realised he had to break the window frame. The flame was moving swiftly, covering, and distance following him like a prey. Peter knew that he couldn't make it out on time. He was only twenty five feet away from the window. Through the licking flame, he shot a web line to the adjacent wall. As soon as it made contact, he pulled himself towards the window aimed himself at the glass pane. He concentrated on saving the girl. As he flew mid-air, punched the window pane with his right fist keeping a protective arm around the girl with his left.

Sssssssssssssss

There was a huge shatter as he shot clean through the window … away from the poisoned air.

There was still a medic down besides the ablaze building. He swung his way slowly towards the van.

People below seeing the unconscious girl in spidey's arms cleared his way. He saw a crying woman near the medic van. She was in her mid-thirties. Assuming her to be the mother he descended towards her.

Peter landed on the ground walked briskly to the doctor. He saw the tear stained mother as her eyes fell on her baby hardly believing her to be still alive. She took a step forward as Peter handed the girl to the medic.

"The girl's barely breathing" said Peter in a tensed voice.

The doctor quickly put her inside the van and put the oxygen mask on her face.

The woman approached spiderman.

She folded her hands. "Thank you spider man . Thank you . I could never ever repay you ever. "

Right then the little girl fluttered her eyes open and saw spiderman. She gave a sweet little smile. Then he saw the woman move towards the girl with her own motherly affection and cooed her rubbing her palms over her forehead.

"Spiderman, we hate to say it, but without you we probably could have never ever saved the girl"

said the fire men as he approached him.

He gave a salute to him.

Spidey returned his salute with one of his own.

Suddenly he heard the wail of a police vehicle approaching him.

"Hey spiderman, I think you should take off, The police are looking for you."

Spidey ran and said "Yeah, I bet".

He , Peter Parker felt happy. He knew he could right his wrongs.

He swung away into the horizon as he saw the trail of police vehicle below him trying to tail him.

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

"Yeah lets do that" said Peter as he paused the trail of thoughts leaving him his mind.

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Both of them walked through the sparsely empty streets as they walked around hand in hand... fingers laced around each other.

"I know this totally awesome place just nearby my apartment. We could go there and get some Chinese. What do you say about that?"

Her eyebrows were high up her forehead as she questioned him.

She was everything he needed.

"Cool cool and I like chinese anyway so lets do it."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After a scrumptious meal of chopseuy and Manchurian, Peter walked Gwen to her apartment.

Helen Stacy opened the door.

"Hello Peter? How have you been?"

"Fine Mrs Stacy."

"I am happy that you are looking out for Gwen. After the recent incident I tried my best to warn her and keep her safe. She worries me sick. All right the two of you get inside." Helen Stacy motioned both of them inside.

The living room had been the same since the last time he visited the Stacy's.

They were a family of five. The deceased captain George Stacy. His wife Helen Stacy. Gwen is their eldest daughter. She has two younger brothers- Frank and George each aged nine and ten years. Both of them doted Peter and they looked up to him as an elder brother. Peter had always been alone with no one to relate to. He found Gwen's brother to somehow fill that craving that he always had.

They ran towards Peter when he saw him enter with Gwen.

"Yay... its Peter" they ran at him with force and tangled themselves around Peter's leg. .. Both of them grinning madly at him.

"Hey fellas, how have you been?" said Peter as he bent down and ruffled their hair.

Both the brothers were cute little monsters that Peter absolutely adored. Frank had bark chocolate brown hair and Frank was blond just like Gwen.

Both of them smiled revealing the tiny gap in their milky set of teeth and along with their huge innocent eyes, they were simply to die for. Both of them

"Peter tell us that Goblin story that you had told us about." said Frank

"Yeah, right and Spiderman came and whopped up his ass for good"

Peter had once narrated the boys a little fiction of own where spider-man defeats the Goblin.(Well he got this idea by the way he saw Norman Osborn transform. It was just like a goblin with extreme features).

Whenever he thought of Harry's dad, Peter is usually scared. Because he had never seen anything like it. It was just like some twisted mutated life form.

And to his surprise this story stuck in their mind just like a bee looking out for nectar.

"Boys language, you have got to keep a check on that or else your PlayStations will be put away for good" warned Mrs Stacy. Both the boys stuck out their lips and stood pouting at her.

Peter laughed lightly.

He looked at the boys and saw a miniature himself fight with his aunt fighting over small petty things that seemed to be a big deal to him at that time.

How he missed those days ... those carefree days when he had absolutely nothing to worry about. He had Uncle Ben and Aunt May to look out for him... and most importantly without responsibility.

" Boys, its past your bedtime. You get to bed on time because what did I teach you..." Mrs Stacy waited for them to fill in and made an expectant glance at them waiting to hear sometime that she looked like she had tried to inculcate in them for so long.

" Early to bed, early to rise, Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise". The boys chimed in together.

"Say good night to Peter and your sister, boys"

"Goodnight , Peter. Gonnight sis. So when will you be telling that story to us?" Frank looked at Peter expectantly with those doe shaped caramel eyes.

"Boys, he can tell that to you tomorrow alright? .Peter why don't you come to our place tomorrow after your school hours? I will be making dinner and then you could narrate them your story, alright?" said Mrs Stacy.

Peter could see that the past year had been too harsh on her. After the sudden death of her husband, suddenly the weight of the world fell on her shoulders.

He could see that the one year had taken a serious toll on her and on top of that handling the continuous banter of her two small children every day was taking a serious toll on her.

Peter knew that all of them were going through a difficult time, especially Mrs Stacy. He could see Mrs Stacy going quiet occasionally and that was when he truly understood how she felt.

Right after Peter lost his Uncle Ben….

There always seemed to be a dark cloud that hung over their faces every day and Aunt May had the hardest time of all.

Peter could often hear her aunt crying silently when he was in his room lying down pretending to be asleep.

Even for Mrs Stacy, it was the same. Her face looked more aged since the last time he visited her. There were wrinkles on her cheeks other than her impossibly blemish free clear skin.

Just like a string of worries mellowed by time…

Peter felt bad for her

Mrs Stacy looked at Peter and smiled. Those distant deep blue kind eyes were a complete contrast to her overall facial expression.

"Take Peter up to your room while I try to get them to sleep. Okay?" Mrs Stacy mouthed those words at her.

Gwen gave her a thumbs up and motioned Peter to follow her to her room.

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He had previously visited Gwen's room countless number of times but he couldn't remember the last time he had actually done that … officially.

Maybe this was his third time as far his memory could place it.

Her bedroom was just the opposite of Peter's. Her bed was neatly made. It was a queen sized bed and the bed sheet that adorned the bed was simple. It was yellow with large flowers on it of various sizes. There was a table and a chair and a three seated couch beside her bed. The cupboard had an assortment of various books neatly stacked in a pile. There was a chart of periodic table fixed on her table. Pencils, pens and crayons had their respective place. Even her computer table was clean. Not even a scrap of paper or anything useless. Peter stared and looked around with a bit of awe. He had never noticed her room so clearly.

It was nothing compared to Peter's room.

His room had always been a mess.

He room didn't even come close at the category of being organised. Pencils, pens, papers always lay strewn around his room. Of all pens, not a single pen was good enough to be used for writing. Some of them were broken or some didn't have ink.

Shirts and pants hung haphazardly over the wooden beam that ran across his room horizontally.

Gwen plopped at the side of her bed dropping her back pack on her chair and heaved a sigh of tiredness.

"Hey Peter are you going to stand there all day? Come. Sit." Gwen gestured him with her hand calling him and motioning him to sit beside her.

Peter quickly scuttled away and sat slowly beside her. He was scared to destroying the creaseless bed sheet.

Gwen gave a sudden laugh seeing him so alert.

"Hey you there is no one in my room right now. So you know, could chill out a little bit" said Gwen as she arranged the pillow behind her back.

"Come now, get comfortable" said Gwen.

"Yeah, huh.." Peter gave a nervous laugh as he tried to be little more comfortable.

"The bed won't get hurt" Gwen stifled a giggle as she witnessed Peter turn and twist around to face Gwen.

"Yeah, I am comfortable now.." said Peter as he smiled at her.

Peter spoke to her about a range of various subjects. He enquired if any further progress had been made at Oscorp about the cure that were working on to their daily life activities.

He was happy to share things with her that he usually couldn't. give her a perpective how he saw things. Because he could no longer be a nerd left out all by himself with no one to talk to.

He didn't feel left out all alone and Gwen made him feel just that.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Shit! Is it already so late?" said Peter as he checked on his watch. It was pretty late.

"Hey Gwen I should be going or else Aunt May's gonna go berserk on me." Said Peter as he laughed nervously.

He got up and put on his snickers

"Yeah alright. Then I will see you tomorrow" said Gwen as she slowly leisurely got up from her bed and approached Peter.

"Stay safe, Pete" said Gwen as she put her arm around Peter's.

"Yeah" said Peter as he wrapped his hands around her waist and slowly pulled her close to him until she was just a few inches away.

Peter could feel Gwen smile although he was just a few inches away from her mouth.

Peter slowly moved forward and kissed her upper lip and she dug on to her lower lip.

It was heaven .

Slowly their rhythm intensified. He could feel the rush of emotions endorphin suddenly taking full on, on himself.

Just then, there was a click of Gwen's door.

Peter just ignored it thinking it to be wind. They were too wrapped up in each other's embrace to think of anything else. Peter could feel Gwen's body merge into his own as he slowly started to crash his teeth with hers. He kissed her hotly and could feel Gwen doing the same.

"Arhmmmmm…"

The sound abrupt noise drove both of them move apart. Peter almost jumped.

It was Helen Stacy at the door staring at them with suspicious eyes.

Peter quickly moved away from Gwen and stared at her for a second before looking down. He quickly bent down feigning an attempt to adjust his sneakers.

He looked up at Helen as his finger fumbled around the laces of his sneakers.

"huh Mrs Stacy, I was just going out. Its late." Said Peter having nothing better to say.

"Yeah mom, he was just leaving and we were just trying to figure things out so.. um ..ha.." Gwen was flustered all over. Peter looked at Gwen and she was wide eyed and stared right in to Peter.

 _Yep, I should get going_ , he thought.

"And Mrs. Stacy thank you for inviting me over ."

"Yeah. Anytime"

Peter could make the grin that she had in her face. She was surely thinking about Peter how he was all over Gwen's face made his face go all beet red. He could even feel small beads of sweat starting to form on his brows..

 _Shit I was hasty_ , Peter thought as he walked through the main entrance as he wished goodnight to both Gwen and her mother.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day was nothing eventful. To tell the truth, he had planned on spending a few days free of his worldly free services and do stuff that just pleased him, for once.

His classes were a breeze.

He even got partnered up with Gwen in the recent science fair that was coming up.

Luck was surely tagging along with him. He just wished that his luck would not turn his back on him and run out on him and preferable not jinx it.

Everything was smooth.

On one such day, he then happened to pass by the library during lunch break. He saw a Mary Jane stooped over something. It looked like newspapers and papers strewn all over the table. Her palms were on her forehead. Her mouth was gaping wide as he could make out the movement of her head along the small lines of various clipped articles.

Peter stepped in the library.

Her face showed concern.

 _What was so important that MJ of all people was tensed?_

He moved past various students and finally reached the table that MJ had currently occupied. The place was a complete mess.

"Hey MJ…" said Peter pointing at the hoard of cuttings

"You won't believe what I have stumbled into. I had applied for a position in journalism for the school's weekly newspaper. Pretty cool huh?" said MJ without even facing Peter.

"Yeah its awesome. But what's all this?" enquired Peter as he looked at the highlighted phrases and words.

"This is what that has been going around in our school you know, The Steel Serpent." Said MJ dabbing her finger at the strange black serpent like symbol that looked like a question mark.

It just looked some snake open mouthed maybe hissing. Peter had never ever seen something like this … ever.

"Well, no doubt you haven't heard of it. This is some sort of a drug, just like cocaine and meth mixed into perfection .. some perfect concoction that is around ten times more potent. This goes on deep within the people, somewhere deep underground … under mafia I would like to think as far as the report I have collected so far say. And this has been the talk of the city ever since. And the most alarming part is that I found one of these in my classmates hand bag. Well you could say I stole it"

MJ darted her eyes across the room and then carefully pulled out a small a cellophane paper pouch that contained a small cubic paper envelope approximately two square inches in length with the same weird mark of The Steel Serpent at the centre.

MJ handed him the sachet as Peter looked at the symbol closely.

 _Why didn't I come to know about this sooner? Maybe I was adrift , enjoying life too much. Not even two days and the world comes crumbling down._ Peter thought scolding himself mentally.

Peter just couldn't believe that such a major revelation had just passed through him and he wasn't even aware. He tried hard to maintain a straight face.

Why had he never ever come across this?

"May I?"

"Yeah , but just be careful, I don't want the two of us huddled over such a thing" said MJ making a disgusted face half terrified if anyone would come around and notice them.

Peter twirled the cellophane pouch along his fingers.

It just had one symbol it. The Steel Serpent.

"Hey you thing if I submit an article on this I might get a chance to be a on the school's paper?" asked MJ as peter handed the pouch back into her hands.

"Yeah, of course, MJ. This stuff that you have dug up is .. I must say.. its amazing. Of course, you have a very good chance. And this is actually very serious. You are narrowed down something very big that is going on in our school unnoticed. You would make hell of a reporter."

"Thanks."

"I have to get going, Gwen's waiting on me"

"Oh, right. Isn't that her?" MJ pointed towards the entrance of the library.

There she was walking briskly towards the Peter. MJ waved at Gwen. She smiled and waved her.

"Ah Gwen, this is Mary Jane Watson. MJ, Gwen"

"Gwen, nice meeting you"

"Yeah same here. Peter told me about you. You are his neighbour, right."

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Hey why don't we get hang out sometime? Right? It would be fun. You could bring Harry too."

"Yeah, we could do that."

"What's all this?" said Gwen pointing at the highlights and circled words on the articles.

"This is what I am working on right now."

MJ explained Gwen about the The Steel Serpent and the drugs that they had been circling for almost weeks now. MJ explained its potency. Gwen listened carefully. After MJ finished up Gwen gave a brief side glance at Peter.

"Hey MJ. Please try to be careful. If you have decided to go deep on this subject, try not to go too deep in this matter. You might end up getting your hands dirty if you go deep in such topics, please be careful and just don't be too rash. And we will catch up later, right now Gwen and I have this important project that we are working on and we are on a clock. So we should get going."

"Yeah go on." Said MJ plunging her head deep into those stack of papers.

"See you" said Gwen

"Hmm.." MJ didn't even look at them as they went on their way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Did you see that ?" asked Peter looking at Gwen wide eyed.

"I had just gone for a few weeks and this is what happens." Peter said remorsefully.

This was true. Every time he cuts himself some slack and the world starts to topple over.

"Hey hey. This isn't your fault." Gwen tries to comfort Peter.

But it was all in vain. This the evil had incubated long enough to even take his classmates. He considered himself responsible. He was answerable.

"I must go. I have to track this down."

"Hey Peter, now now don't be too rash. Okay, I agree you have to go and check whatever this is and I will help you."

"What ..what ? No. no Gwen just stay out of this mess. I will take care of it".

Peter shook his head just ignoring whatever she just said.

"No Peter don't do this. You promised that we would be doing everything together. Don't do this?"

 _Damn she is really adamant sometimes_ . He had to pacify her. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to

"Alright. Let me look out and if I can score the same drug, you could run some tests and brief me up what really is up to that drug"

"Okay" Peter could see that Gwen was a little sad.

She wanted herself to be more involved in his life and he was again pushing her away.

"Listen Gwen. This stuff is pretty dangerous and I wouldn't want you to be a part of something that might turn out to be life threatening."

Peter cupped her face with his palm and looked at her. Deep in to her.

"Gwen, I love you. I don't want anything to happen to happen to you. So I want you stay at your room. Don't stray away from your home."

"I love you too Peter, but how do you think I would have some peace of my own if I don't know what you kind of horrors you might be facing every night as I stay safe and comfortable in my room."

Peter smiled at her.

"Don't worry. I will come and visit you. So quit worrying about me." Said Peter as her moved a strand of her fair hair away from her forehead.

"Okay then promise me"

"Yeah I promise you" said Peter as he took her hands and kissed lightly.

"Yeah lets go and drop you off and don't you dare protest about going alone cause that is never happening when I am nearby " said Peter.

"Okay then" said Gwen knowing that it would be absolutely futile.

She smiled at Peter as he locked his fingers with Gwen.

Gwen's warm and supple hands were simply to die for. Both of them locked fingers as if vowing never to let go of each other ever again as he walked to her apartment under the cool evening air.

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 _Where do I start from?_ Peter thought hard as he perched on one of the gargoyles.

Things started to turn to be difficult as he around trying to rack his brain for something useful to come up.

 _Maybe its best of I should just take a tour at the place where all the trippy coke heads come from. They ought to know something._

He leaped from from the gargoyle breathing in the night air. He shot a line of web aiming the adjacent building nearby. And he took off to the destination he put on his mind,

As he roamed without any luck until he found a group of five people all huddled together sitting at the corner of an alleyway. There were no people nearby.

He saw the same serpent insignia that MJ had shown him and Gwen on all the pouches that lay on the pavement. He made his way to the people.

As soon as they lifted their heads to see to get a look at spider-man, Peter could see their almost poking out of their eyeballs. Purple veins protruded below their eyes like they were malnutritioned. Their eyes were glazed over as though they really couldn't differentiate reality from virtual world anymore. Their shoulders were slack and their faces lifeless, white from exhaustion that he had never ever seen in his life. They were unmoving just like zombies.

Peter for the first time in his life, he was scared. He had never seen anything like this.

He was even scared to approach them in the beginning.

He jumped straight down from the ledge he was sticking on to and made a small thud.

Immediately the five pairs of eyes snapped up at him, stared at him with their cold hard gaze.

"Huh, people, I have come here in peace. I just need to know who had supplied you with these .. um .. what ever you guys are on right now?"

No sooner, he finished his sentence, his spider-sense blared at his senses alarmingly.

These people moved at a berserk speed at threw a rain of punches at him.

Peter was distracted by their sudden ferocity as he tried to leap up to the wall that was behind him.

Not even a single one hit him .. thanks to his spider-sense.

"Wait guys, I guess I will be going then as you are in no mood to talk this out. No need to strain yourself.." .

Peter shot a web line straight at the pouch and pulled it towards him.

In the blink of an eye, one of them caught his web line and yanked it towards himself. Peter came hurtling forward when he heard a maniacal laughter emanating from their twisted crooked mouth.

Peter quickly let go of his web. He did mid air summersault to break his momentum and then quickly shot another web at the man. Peter tried to punch him but then they just disappeared thin in to air. Peter looked around trying to figure where they had exactly gone. Again his spider sense warned him and he leaped forward.

They had actually dodged his punch and had gone behind him.

Peter was now more curious than ever.

 _What is it that they got exactly in tot their bloodstream?_ He wondered.

They were super fast.

Somehow it looked like they were fast quick enough to dodge his punches.

What was in that drug anyway? Right then he saw one of those sachet lying beside his boot. He quickly picked it up and clutched it tightly in his fist.

"We are coming for you spider-man." said one of the men with a raspy voice that made his blood run cold.

Then suddenly their eyes closed of its own and their shoulders slacked on their own. They feel don onto the pavement as though the five on a deep slumber. They never woke up.

Without thinking or delaying even a moment, Peter took off

Peter took this cue, to silently crawl around the building away from their death stare.

He didn't want to face those freaking zombies right now.

He had to know more about them.

And specially more about the drug with The Steel Serpent insignia on it.

Peter opened his fist as he straightened out the crumbled bit of paper pouch analysing the content that had spilled out a little on his hands. They of a mild and were faint gold in colour. Of course, It just wasn't any ordinary drug, he was sure of that.

And most importantly he had to track its source

 _Shit, that is some seriously messed up thingy that they have in their bloodstream_ Peter thought.

 _Surely that is something else entirely that they had down there. A concoction of cocaine and meth won't have such a drastic change in any one's physiology that they would start throwing punches at me. There must be something else in that along with meth and coke._

Peter swung away knowing that it was really futile taking on these guys unless he had the right amount of information.

Maybe he could ask Gwen to analyse the substance as she was already acquainted with the situation and he knew that she desperately needed some involvement.

 _Maybe this was the safest way for her to get involved._ thought Peter as he made his way to Gwen's place.

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Peter entered Gwen's room through the window that she kept open for Peter

Peter quietly made into her room and found Gwen sitting idly on her bed with her MacBook.

"Oh hey spidey, found something interesting?" asked Gwen as she slowly placed her laptop beside her and straightened up to see if he found something.

"Yeah.. this" .

Peter sat beside her and showed her the sachet that he had collected.

"God." exclaimed Gwen as Peter handed her the sachet so that she could take a better look at it.

"Then MJ was right. This really exists. And oh, its not empty. Let me pour it out on this piece of paper."

As Gwen poured out the contents of the sachet, he noticed that the powder was almost transparent but had a faint shade of gold when viewed at a particular angle. It was something that he had never seen in his life.

Peter felt the substance and rubbed it between his fingers.

It was soft. It was too fine. It wasn't normal. They had to careful as the slightest breeze might blow this stuff all over.

"Peter I have never seen anything like this. MJ said that it was a mixture of coke and meth right? But the texture says so otherwise." Said Gwen as she observed it carefully.

"Lets see, let me analyse this during my lab hours and I will let you know as soon as I find something"

"That will be wonderful. And there is something else as well." Said Peter unsure whether he should really reveal the stuff that he had seen tonight. He knew that it would be wrong on his part to hide things from her. Relationships are built on truth. He couldn't hide anything from her especially when everything was going on so smooth between them.

It would be unjustifiable on his part to shun away especially when he had promised her never to hide anything.

"um, there were these people I faced today. It looked like they were on these drugs."

"What? Are .. Are you all right? How were they behaving?" she almost stumbled while saying.

Gwen came nearer to him and put her left palm over his right.

Peter knew that she was pretty concerned about him.

Peter narrated her what exactly had happened and how their behaviour was.

She was particularly taken aback when he mentioned them dodging and trying to attacking him.

Gwen took a hard long look at the faint gold crystalline salt that lay beside her and shuddered a little.

"There must be something in this that made them do this."

He could see Gwen move the paper that held the salt away from her. She looked scared as if it would effect her as well. She quickly wrapped up the salt in the paper it self so that none could spill out.

Seeing her in discomfort, he said "why you don't have to look into this. I just wanted to show you what I had found"

"No no . I will look for this. But there is something definitely off about this. I just hope this is not what I think it is."

"What? You know what this is?" Peter said in a surprised tone.

"But before I say anything about this you promise not to say this to anyone else yes?"

"Of course, Gwen. What is it?"

"I think judging from the behaviour of whatever you just said about the used, this could be Extrimis"

"Extrimis .. What is that any way?" said Peter not knowing what on earth that could actually be.

"I have heard talks about this among the scientists in our lab. As far as I could make out, it was something dangerous and they were all hush hush about it."

"Okay now this is bad. Some unknown drug is out on the streets and no one can find its source."

This was not what he was expecting. Extrimis was a drug that was unknown and maybe something that he had never ever heard before. But what could he do? He knew that those people who were addicted were in no mood to speak to him. And worse, they were somehow physically enhanced.

 _Spider sense tingling. What could it be now?_

Then he remembered those hooligans had mentioned something about tracking.

Peter's heart skipped a beat.

Was it true?

Could they could actually track him?

"Gwen … shh … lock yourself in the bathroom right now. And don't open unless you know for sure that its me."

"What is it?"

He could see that Gwen was now freaking out a bit. The topic of extrimis had already set her on the edge and now he could see that she was jumpy.

"I just need to check that they hadn't actually followed me here."

"What? They can do that?"

Peter's spider sense suddenly buzzed and he knew that they were somewhere around. He put on his mask quickly without any further delay.

"Maybe I am not sure. Go inside now"

Gwen quickly entered the bath room and locked herself in. Peter jammed the window so that only he could open. He crawled around and leaped off again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There a sudden flash in his mind.

He saw someone else lurking in the shadows. It was so dark.

It came to him all in flashes and that was when he witnessed.

No more than one second , he saw a mystical glowing hand appear out of no where.

Took out all the five guys that came after him in five single leisure blows.

The man was bare. The burnt dragon insignia on his chest was hard to ignore.

His entire frame seemed to be enveloped with some sort of an aura.

He could make out the golden mane of healthy hair.

It held wisdom .. ancient wisdom that no man ever dreamed off.

It looked to be a person .. commanding sort of.

And those eyes had something strong, deep and serenity in them.

Wait that just did not happen

Was he seeing him through his spider sense? This is not right. But somehow, he could see the man as he turned his gaze towards him.

It was almost like, he wanted him to see.

Clearly his physique was to die for. Muscles shaped, enhanced and cut just at the right places.

That was when he looked at Peter directly, like into his mind before everything went dark again…

He came back tumbling where he found himself stuck outside Gwen's apartment.

Peter had come back to the real world. And who was that mystery man .. or mystery warrior (to be precise)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's note- Hello once again. I am sorry I couldn't upload one on time. I hope I am able to get to you through my writing. And I hope everyone is enjoying it. Positive and negative reviews will be wholeheartedly accepted by me. So write away if you have anything better. And can you figure out who I am trying to bring in here? :)


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note- Hello people, once again. This time, I have something quite interesting in store for you people. Hope you enjoy it.

Hope you continue through the very end. And don't forget to leave reviews.

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 _Breaking news._

 _It has been confirmed that Daniel Rand, son of the wealthy well known entrepreneur Wendell Rand has been spotted, Any whereabouts where he was gone, what he had been during the last thirteen years, is still a mystery. As far as sources have confirmed, he was last spotted with his family thirteen years ago when he left along with his parents leaving his business and everything to his superiors until his son came of a proper age._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Is this the reason why he came back? To claim his father's business or was it something else?_

Peter pondered over as he muted the channel and tried to shove milk and cereal into his mouth.

Now this was something new. Peter knew little about Daniel Rand but he had heard about Wendell Rand, well-known owner of a profoundly important entrepreneur person who had devoted himself to the cause of the welfare of this country and the world. A philanthropist.

News reports say that he was quite a person, looked always for the best of America's benefit and welfare. He had a pretty big role in shaping America improving economy as it is today. So he was pretty famous. Mostly things about his personal life has been quite shady and no one knew anything in detail and his disappearance was still a talk in the community.

Peter recalled the events night before.  
The mystical man with glowing hands, extremis it was all there. Everything was real. All of them packed into a messed up super goo ball that was trying to manifest inside Peter's mind.

And now more and more unknown people coming out of nowhere, people that he least expected to show up, especially people who had disappeared thin into the air have finally started to reveal themselves. And if he knew better, all of this isn't no coincidence. Something very big is at play here. There was something very fishy going on.

He had to get to the bottom of this.

And for that he need eyes and ears, someone who had enough knowledge, preferably someone currently working on this and the most important of all it was someone he could trust.

Mary Jane Watson.

The last time he checked on her, she was trying her very best to write an article on the Steel Serpent and she had pulled out some pretty interesting stuff that perked his interests. And there lay his first clue.

If he were to ever work with her to uncover what was all the stuff going on, most importantly, he had to absolutely make it certain, that he had her trust which was not a problem but he had to make sure that she was safe.

But the real question was if MJ would really help spider-man?  
That was currently his main concern. She had never met him before, maybe she had a glimpse of him here, now and then. But was it enough for Peter to know that she trusted him? Or would she bail out on him? Peter had no idea but he intended to find out for sure.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After his class hours, Peter looked around for Mary Jane and as he had already suspected, she was cooped all over up in that same very table that he saw her yesterday, with several coffee Styrofoam cups on her desk. She was on her laptop, her small mouth was in the shape of a small cute but annoying little frown that a small girl would give her daddy for something that seemed to be small and petty. He could make out the movement of her hands fly across the keyboard with deliberate ease. Peter decided to pay her a visit, to see if she had learnt anything new.

Peter walked briskly across tables, shelves filled with books neatly arranged and stacked in a proper order. He looked at MJ and greeted her.

"Hi, MJ. What's up?" said Peter trying to sound as casual as he could.

"Nothing, just thinking on writing about something else for the time being.."

He followed MJ's finger point towards her computer screen and saw spider-man web slinging with a small child on his back.

"He is a real hero." Said MJ as he looked up at the computer screen staring closely at muscular figure of spider-man as if she could see past his mask.

Peter found his cheeks grow hot. He never thought that it would be MJ drooling over him… (well technically not drooling, but to have a fan was of course a thing for him) of course not him but his alter-ego.

 _Hey knock it off, she is just admiring spider-man not you._

His subconscious scolded him.

Of course what the hell was he thinking? Or wait did he really think just that?

 _Get a hold of yourself will you?_

Of course he didn't find her attractive, not like Gwen, who was not all perky but disciplined and cosy ( in a formal way) to talk to, but MJ, on the other hand, was easy going and sometimes when Gwen was not around, he found himself only looking out for her (in her absence, of course)

There was nothing complicated or peculiar involved here, Peter knew that for sure but staying around her brought out his funny side, that comical Parker up to the surface.

He was all serious with Gwen. He could joke around her too but not like MJ. She was like sipping a cold lemonade on a sweltering hot day on a beach, playing volley ball, but with Gwen, it was like sipping a warm coffee after being drenched in a in a the night rain, when he is tired and wants to be comforted, Gwen was such a sort of person. She was more of sweet talks, cuddling, caring and that was Peter liked. And he never had any second thoughts about that, he was sure of it. He loved Gwen and he will maybe even end up with her, but MJ was some sort of an unchartered jungle that perked up Peter's curiosity more and he just could not let that go. He wanted to swing along those dark tall trees tearing through the thick foliage trying to imagine whether it would really be such fun with her again.

Gosh it was years when he last spoke to MJ. They enjoyed playing or doing whatever they did over the past years ago together. He didn't remember it much but he knew he wanted to smile whenever he pictured a little Peter and MJ playing, fighting, crying or whatever they did during those days that seemed so petty, yet they were such warm fuzzy thoughts, that he wanted to hug himself.

"So what actually are you doing perusing through photos of spider-man?" said Peter unable to contain his inquisitiveness.  
What had made her to leave all the facts that she had collected all of a sudden?

MJ quickly minimised the window. And tried to open up something irrelevant trying desperately to cover it up.

"I , uh m sorry you had something to tell me, right?"  
She was fumbling with the mouse pad on her laptop.

"I thought you were working on the drug outbreak on the Steel Serpent..?"

"I..I don't know. They committee doesn't want to me to run on such a topic. Maybe I guess, it was a bit too random but the brighter side is that the English committee have approved my writing but they want me to write on something else. So I have decided to write reports on more pressing matters on the school like you see the interschool basketball tournament that our school participated and secured the first position, Flash Thompson's team got selected for the regionals and hoards of other stuff."

"Wow, that is great ... Congrats on securing your position."

"Yeah, I guess .." said MJ as randomly clicked around for pictures. Peter knew that something was bothering her.

"Hey MJ, what is it? What are you thinking?"

"No, its just that I wanted to run on that story. I just .."

MJ suddenly slapped her palms hard on the desks hard making people look around her with contempt. This sudden action even made Peter jump out of his skin.

Realising her mistake, she quickly mouthed the words that indicated that she was really sorry as hard as she could to get the dozens of stern looking eyes not to stare down at her hard.

"Why, I could apply for an internship with The Daily Bugle and work on my article? Maybe they would see the truth behind all this. What do you say?" said MJ furiously whispering, her eyes suddenly shining over all with excitement.

"Hey now, hold on, what is it that you are planning to do?" said Peter scratching the back of his head trying to make a head and tail of whatever she said.

"I will write the same report to the Daily Bugle and find out what they think about it. Maybe they will appreciate my work and research. What do you think?" MJ looked at Peter expectantly.  
It was as if she knew that The Daily Bugle would almost welcome her article provided she had evidence with her.

And Peter couldn't lie her. The Daily Bugle was famous for revealing startling stories that have never been exposed in the real world and due to this there are people who are after J. . Be it drug cartel, deals gone bad, invading people's privacy, it was all there. And MJ knew that such a story would further inflate his elephant his elephant sized ego.

"Yeah, yeah. You could do that."

"But for that I am going to need some definite proof. Maybe get some closure and snaps on the people who are behind this. .. or even so, maybe just a little peek."

Peter gave MJ a contemplating look.

"MJ are you out of your mind? You know that these things isn't some child's play. There is a reason why no one has published anything regarding whatever this is so far. Maybe the people involved, deep within are dangerous people and you don't want to mess with them and a lot of precautions were taken so that whatever this is never surfaces and so this has been done carefully. Maybe.. just maybe, you should not tread on this path "

"Now, now, tiger. Don't be such a wimp. And I already showed you, this stuff has even come to our school and there is no one who had ever dared to notify anyone. And I have already made up my mind, I am going to find out about them. Care to join me? And moreover aren't you interested in finding out something new, maybe something that no one has ever found, maybe some kind of conspiracy or something worse " MJ looked at Peter darkly. Her eyebrows were knitted closely together and looked at Peter straight on his eyes.

Peter considered for a second.

"Come on, it will be fun. " Her face broke into a half smile.

 _Well, she definitely perked your spider brawn, didn't she? Maybe it is best that I go with her._ He thought.

"Why you have certainly perked my interest big time and I will join you"

"Well, then Parker, grab your stuff, we are going adventuring. " said MJ with a very peculiar masculine tone as they left the library that made Peter choke on his own laughter. Seeing him gasp for air, made MJ giggle as she thumped his back.

Peter sighed.

"You want to go now, really now.?"

"Well, if you don't I leave you right here. And I will go on and do my own work whether you plan on  
joining me or not."

"Wait wait, now.. don't be hasty, I will join you but give me some time. Let me look out for Gwen."  
Said Peter as he hastily broke in to a slow jog.

"Hey, Pete, I didn't mean to be harsh on you. I didn't know that you might be doing a thing or two or something later on with Gwen." she yelled just loud enough for Peter to hear her voice distinctly who was almost ten feet away from her.

"No no, its alright. Don't sweat it. She will understand. "

"Are sure about that?"

Peter turned around to face her and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yeah, she sure will understand." Peter gave a reassuring smile to her.

"Okay.. then I will waiting for you outside the park. Look for me out there."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter searched for Gwen and explained her what exactly happened. He could see her face all contorted. She was concerned for his safety. She knew that he had to go and warned him to stay alert and safe at all times.

Peter planted a full kiss on her lips before she could say anything more.

After a few seconds or so, he pulled back from her.

"Hey, don't worry, I will come back unharmed and you see I have to look after her too. See has a pile of information on this and it would be wise for me to go with her."

"I know. I understand"

"Promise me that you will call me or visit me whatever you like after all of this is over and mind you, I will be waiting for you .."

Peter took her small petite porcelain hand, gave her a small smile as he quickly planted a flurry of kisses.

Her hands had a rich coco aroma. He didn't want to let go of her hands.

Peter just felt like cuddling over them as he could almost imagine falling into a peaceful slumber

Peter smiled at Gwen as he waved at her from a distance. Gwen waved her back, her eyes with filled with hopes and well wishes for Peter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter found MJ as he neared the park.

"You took your time"

Peter gave her a confident smile.

"Lets do this"

MJ nodded at him as they went on their way.

On their way, Peter and MJ both of them were discussing their plans,

Upon asking MJ she revealed the reason why she took up a position at the school writing board.

"I want to be a journalist " She stated blankly, with a certain resolve in her voice that Peter had never heard before.

"Oh, wow, that is.. that's good"

"Why what's the matter? You seem fazed."

"No, I just didn't imagine you to be doing that."

"Yeah, I know. Even I dawned upon this while doing this drug article, I realised where my interest actually lied and the most important thing is that I find JJ Jameson's view of spider-man misleading to the people and I hope to change that."

At the mention of spider-man and J. , his ears suddenly perked up.

"So you don't think, he is a nuisance for the people?"

"Of course not and I know that I haven't seen him much in action but I don't think he means any harm. He is just wronged for things that he doesn't intend to do. He is just mistaken. And I want people to know his true side. I am even ready to follow him during crime heists, or... or be it any other situation that involves him. I know that he is good and he will always looks out for people."

Peter had never seen MJ so adamant. Her jaws were set, her eyes focussed with a certain air of surety, what she has planned to do next.

"After, all of this I find out when exactly he is gonna show up and most importantly, I would be the first one to interview him."

"So what exactly are planning to write about?"

"No use looking for already proven facts. I need something new. I hope he shows up soon because only then, he would be able to write about him. And he will be a hero because I know he is … deep down.

"What about the guy Spiderman almost beat him to death?"

"Oh, Peter just tell me. A guy risks his ass everyday looking out for people saving them at the nick of time. He should be well treated of course. People should see the bright side. He is not given credit for the countless lives that he has saved so far. Any extra damage and it is all on him. That is just not fair, don't you think? And I think it is absolutely natural to loose his calm and which brings me to the conclusion that…. Spiderman really has a thing for girls who are around Gwen's age isn't it? I mean , come on, he literally tore the guy apart when he saw Gwen sprawled over. No offense intended."

"None taken and I never thought in that way but I don't think that's true.."

"Of course that seems to be legit enough and you think you know more about him than I do?  
And you think you know boys better than me? Superhero or not, they have testosterone pumping in their veins, don't they? I have every tiny detail about all his acts, almost everything etched in my mind. It is only spider-man himself who can challenge me." MJ snapped at Peter as she tapped at her forehead.

Peter stared at MJ. She had literally taken all the words from his mouth. He just couldn't say anything more.

"OK, OK. I get it"

 _Oh God, she is the same old her all right with a penchant for me as spider-man. Man, this is mint._ he thought.

"I hope you find and do a piece on him. That would be so awesome. It might even turn out that you could earn a permanent place in The Daily Bugle , work for J. or something like that"

MJ scoffed.

"Oh please, that man has always blamed spider-man and blamed him for .. for almost .. everything and he is all the time shouting and screaming telling that Spidey's a menace when he actually does is nothing. And spider-man is humble, but he is nutty at times. I have never … "

"Hey what was that?" Peter said when his spider sense flaring up all of a sudden.

"What was 'what'?" said MJ with a irritated look on her face. She never liked it when someone crossed her while she was saying something

Peter looked around and he his heart skipped a beat.

Before MJ could really saw anything at all, Peter right on there stood cursing himself.

How could he have been so blind? How ? Just how?

Peter shook his head unable to realise where and why she could lead the two of them here. How could he have been so delirious? Why?

He had come to same alleyway where he had a face-off with those bunch of freaks who were on that drug. He had to get MJ somewhere safe. This is least thing that he needed right now.  
And most importantly how MJ did stumbled to precisely to that very location.  
Peter just couldn't simply believe his luck.

As they take a few more steps carefully further inside, he saw the same alleyway on his left, putrid stench filled his nostrils. MJ welched holding her stomach and desperately pulled out her handkerchief.

"MJ we need get somewhere safe. This neighbourhood is dangerous. Where are we anyway?"

"Pfft.. Dangerous.? Come on, I am not going to go back till I have some answers of my own, and don't worry tiger, I have got you if things go south." She patted her hip. He saw a baton sheathed away around her waist. He saw her fingers quiver slightly.

"Oh, where did you get that?"

"Peter you should always be resourceful when it comes to looking out of such stuff. I have my sources." she had a faint smile on her lips.

There was a slight whoosh of sudden air. Peter knew that that it was just a matter of time when those freaks would ambush the two of them. Peter realised, how lucky it was that he as with her. He could keep an eye on her and protect her from harm.

No matter how hard MJ tried to stay strong he knew that it just won't matter. She is a liability right now and it would surely a hell of a distraction for her to be around and the most important thing was how would he suit up?

He simply had no clue.

With her around it was impossible, he had sneak out there somehow but he had no idea how.

Then out of nowhere three of those men slicked into existence there way as there took definite shapes. They were just like ghosts, shape shifters, disappearing and suddenly appearing out of nowhere. They were fast that appeared to be formless, like groping on shadow.

"Uugh.. gross" cried out MJ in disgust as one of them came into view.

This time the symptoms were much worse than before.

That man had some sort of a yellow fluid that leaking from the corner of his mouth and his eyes were as blank as ever.

"Trying to scare me eh? Lets see what you have got?" Said MJ as she flexed her muscles as popped her knuckles.

Without a second thought, MJ charged forward before Peter could even react. She pulled out her weapon, from the holster and swung it around wildly charging into the man's chest. She hit him squarely at him. There was a sickening crunch. The man staggered and fell a few feet behind.

He immediately looked up and gave a horrifying rotten teethed grin at MJ.

The coke head's own gait was more of an amble.

MJ took a few a steps behind. She knew that if the man could survive such a blow from her, something was severely wrong.

They were inhumans.

"Um, Peter I could use some of your help .. right about now..?"

MJ was shivering. The violent quivering of the muscles on her arms were not at all difficult to notice.

Peter realised that he had just been watching the entire scenario like a dumbo.

Without any further tally, Peter charged forward.

He quickly grabbed MJ's arm and pulled it towards him just as the man was about to land a fatal crushing blow at her.

He broke the pavement underneath her feet.

MJ smiled at him with relief. Peter quickly looked up when he saw him coming for him now.

 _Well that is a good sign. At least I managed to take the heat of her._ He thought.

MJ was shaken and she tried desperately to get up on her feet.

Now's the chance Peter thought as he picked up her shoe that had fallen off during the scuffle, picked it up with one arm and flung it across his face as hard as he could.

It was lame but he had to find a way to get time and slow him down, get enough time to change back to his costume.

It made a large smacking noise as it made contact with his face and the goon just lost a bit of his momentum.

That was all he needed. MJ was up on her feet.

He went near her and waited for the thug to make his move. As the thug neared him, MJ was already picked up the baton and waited for him to come to strike.

As his attention was all focussed on Peter, he couldn't see MJ come on from the side and swung at him.

THOP.

The man single headedly stopped her incoming blow and slapped her hard sending her sprawling on the asphalt.

She was knocked out cold.

Peter looked at her. Her unmoving body lay there in a heap, not stirring even the slightest.

Seeing her in an all-out state tore the wires in mind that kept his reasoning and logic together, sane and going.

His hands suddenly felt suddenly numb.

They were hot and he could feel his temperature spiking.

 _He is going to a gala time with me._ He promised that to MJ more than to himself.

This time peter charged at him when he saw another silhouette move past him at an incredible speed.

There was no warning by his spider sense, but still he was ready.

Right then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw the golden haired warrior.

His fist glowing as though it were on some kind of a righteous fire.

His movement fluid as ever advanced as it slicked its way into the rotten man's movement radius.

POW.

Just one punch. And the man was straight from his feet in to the air.

"Guess that's thirty one pieces of silver you have got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas" said the man as he turned to face Peter.

Peter looked back at him and he was ready to put up a fight.

The man looked down at him.

He had baggy black khaki pants. He had a sleeveless leather bottle green jacket that was partially chained up to his chest. But that did not prevent his perfectly chiselled chest from spilling out. And the most distinguishing characteristic was the black burned dragon insignia that filled the torso portion of his body. Peter could just make out the partial dragon tattoo etched on his skin. He had a yellow bandana that covered his hair, head and had two slits for his eyes. The unruly mane of hair fell down on his shoulder. He had knuckled gloves that had a red stain on it preferably due to the stunning uppercut that he landed on one of them.

"Spiderman, get your cohort to safety, clear away from this place. This is my fight."

 _Wait a second … What? Did he just call him, Peter Parker spider-man? Peter something is definitely wrong with that guy. Shit! Why am I the one freaking out now?_

But for some unknown reason, he wanted to trust this man.

Maybe it was the way he spoke, there nothing but bare truth in his voice.

It was like his voice had a mind of his own. It was like conversing with his voice … only his voice.

Peter looked at him hard for a few moments before running down to get MJ.

He knelt down beside MJ.

She had a nasty cut on her forehead but it was not bleeding thank God but there was a swelling on her right arm. She needed medical attention straight away.

Fractured arm.

Maybe when she fell, her right hand had to absorb majority of the impact.

Peter tried to cradle her head on his arms in a vertical position.

Peter slapped her lightly, even though he knew that it was futile.

But then slowly, she somehow regained her consciousness and looked at Peter who looked down back at her.

"Pete. Its you? Spider-man? You are him?.." she trailed off. She was weak. He had to move her somewhere safe.

It seemed as if she was even finding it difficult to keep her eyes open.

He knew that the unintentional blurting of the masked man had comprised his identity.  
Peter felt like tearing his hair out.

MJ now knew the truth. The truth that he had been so desperately trying to musk.

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Peter knew that there was a hospital nearby. He had to move her there as soon as possible.

She was in a bad shape.

Peter then slowly turned his attention back towards the mystery man.

"Weird. Hey how come you figured me just by looking at me?" Peter blurted at him as he tried to balance MJ between his arms, her consciousness barely holding on. His thoughts that were like a swirling riptide, which hurt his head too much.

"Never question ones belief. Belief is what makes you strong. It can pull you from the darkest of all days." Said the man with the glowing fist.

"I have been seeing you for quite some time. You have a very formidable way, you think different. Your mind is unique is I sense a very specific sense that had been bequeathed unto you. You must be worthy enough to wield such strength and sense."

 _Why does he sound like a fortune cookie? Is this what he actually is?_

"Hey, how come, you know so much about me? And you say this is your fight? You know who they are? They are freakishly strong. I don't know how come you managed to subdue him with a single punch from that glowing fiery fist of yours? Any way why does your fist glow? And most importantly who are you?"

"Spiderman, just like you I have proven myself worthy to weld the power of the iron fist and the power that came along with it. But now, you must get to safety. There are more of them coming up. There isn't much time." Said the man with the glowing fist as he looked front.

He turned to face Peter once again and said "And I am just a man looking out to help people. I am your ally."

And just then, Peter's spider sense blared, warning him of the imminent danger that was coming along that very way and the shady man just said that, or to be precise, he predicted it.

He knew that he did not have enough time with him to move around with MJ slumped across his shoulders.

Basically, his mind was in a complete turmoil.

What will happen now? She knew who he was.

The girl who aspired to be a news reporter, now knew the truth. The truth that would be an uproar. The news that he had been dreading for so long.

Could it just get any worse?

Right then, he could distinctly made out the large thudding noise of the rest of the people who were coming on to face them. He would not get enough time to take her to safety.

 _Deal with her later. Now you have to deal with them._ Thought Peter as he jumped got back on her feet.

"Hey I will be coming, just hang on a second, let me just keep her somewhere safe." Said Peter as he picked up MJ on his shoulders.

MJ kept uttering something to Peter. Something inaudible. She was in shock. And the startling revelation maybe was too much for her mind.

"I don't need your help. I see that your acquaintance here is in some dire need of help. You better give it to her. She does not look well" said Iron Fist with a certain resolve in his voice.

"I deny that, I can help you. You don't know this neighbourhood better than I do. Just let me keep her somewhere safe and then I can join you."

Before, the mysterious man could say anything, Peter flung her on his shoulders and took off. He carried her to the terrace of a nearby building. He quickly changed up and carried her to the nearest safe place he could think of. No use hiding the truth from her. She already knew that. This very fact was gnawing at him like a rod that has been wedged inside his heart for so long that he could feel the raw pain creep up on him. Peter jumped and crawled on walls until he found a place safe enough.

Peter set her down carefully.

"MJ please wait. I can explain everything. Just give me some time. Let me handle this and I will come for you."

MJ stared at him wide-eyed and star struck at the same time, before she fell into a swoon.

 _This is probably for the best. Hang on tight, MJ._

Peter moved his hand over MJ's forehead feeling a sudden urge of protectiveness towards her. He put on his spidey costume and made his way to the masked man.

 _There she is safe now. I hope, she doesn't wake up soon and freak out all of a sudden._

After stowing her someplace safe, he retraced his steps back to the alleyway and saw the masked man still waiting.

"I believe that is true spider-man, but you have no idea who the Steel serpent is do you?"

"Yeah of course I know, what it is? And by the way it's a 'what', not a 'who'"

"There you see, you just absolutely have clue what you are trying to be a part of"

"Oh, come on if you think you know, why don't you fill me in?"

"I am not sure, you folks would ever believe me? I have spent a significant portion of my life in a place, a place where no mortal has ever dreamed of going in." The masked man looked up at the night sky longingly, like he missed something in there, very much. He seemed distracted, distant like something far away yet so close within him.

"Hello? Earth to Mr Strong fist over here. Are you here?" Spidey moved his fingers up and down in front of his eyes to snap him out of the trance that he had suddenly fallen.

"There is going to be a freak show right about now, so I will need you to be alert, right?"

"Of course, no one knows this but I have come here because of the Steel serpent, to thwart his evil plans once and for all"

"Whoa, slow down, rodeo. Who is the Steel Serpent that has got you all worked up?"

"He is the son of my master from whom I have received training"

"Training as in that fire fist and that insane ass kicking kung-fu?"

"Yes, but there is more to that." Said the masked man shaking his head.

Peter could see that this was something that had to do with family

"So this is some kind personal feud I see."

"Yes, he wants to rule Kun'Lun by force. He has travelled to earth to amass a great army and then storm in to my city. And under my eyes that just won't happen. I can't let that happen"

"Now what is a k'un-L'un?" said Spidey scratching his costumed head unable to make a head or tail.

"Nothing. Just, let it be. "replied the man shaking his head.

"You see I can help you here and moreover you are in my territory anyway, so my help is complimentary here. No exceptions."

"Then I am not going to have any say in this isn't it?"

"No"

Right then, the two other amped up thugs came into view and looked at the mystery super Fisty man and Spiderman menacingly. They were clicking their teeth and they were in a peculiar stance that Peter had never ever seen anything more horrifying in his life. They just looked like two burly men who have had too much to drink, more than their system could take it.

"Well then, a comrade in arms is always welcome and I like someone to fight beside me as you."

"Mr. Pumpy Fist, it would be mine genuine pleasure."

Right then, the two of those goon ran towards the wall-crawler and Iron fist.

Spidey ran with ferocity allowing his anger of being unable to protect MJ took over him completely. All his senses were amped up. He stole a glance at his side and saw Iron Fist at par with his speed, his fist glowing menacingly.

 _Hell, yeah lets show them. Lets teach them a lesson._

The two warriors jumped and together high up in the air and spidey could see, the confused look on the men.

Well, they were not at all expecting the two of them to go overhead, high up flying.

Just as they touched the surface, spidey jumped up and shot webs from his web blasters at them.

And sure enough the goons were tangled in a mess, unable to free themselves.

They were screaming and shouting in rage and looked at the spider-man with disdain.

Well, was the last thing, they ever could set eyes upon.

THUD, THUD.

One solid kick from spidey's femur and an equally stronger jab from the Iron fist sent the two of them sprawling a few feet.

"Yep, that felt nice" said Spidey as he caressed his knuckles looking at the men, who were piled over one another.

"Your fighting style is ingenious spider-man. You are creative"

"And so is your Kung-Fu. That was some serious jabbing you threw at them."

I don't think, the rest of them is going to show up any time now."

"What? How do you know so?"

"I can always sense them coming and the something about them is very wrong. I could sense something different in them, there is something very potent and deadly."

"So you have a sense like mine too?"

"Yes, they are my own radar, just like your spider-sense."

"Now that is really scary. How do you know about my spider-sense?"

"Remember, that night, when you saw me take out the bunch of goons, I could sense someone around and I didn't hope to alarm you but I myself was alarmed to sense a natural precognitive sense so vivid like yours. So I tapped into your senses to tell you that I meant no harm"

"And I thought there was something sinister about you. Is this all due to that iron like fist of yours?"

"Yes, this iron fist has granted me strength of a thousand men and it has heightened my suppressed senses as well."

"Wow, that is surely something, huh" said Spidey as he put a hand on his costumed head.

There had been enough going on for today. Spidey was literally bursting with the hoard of happenings that had been taking place.  
Everything had been a mistake. MJ now knew his secret and she is barely holding on. Peter knew that he had to go to her. Help her understand what has been going on.

"Where are you going?" said spidey as the crusader briskly started to walk further in to the alleyway.

"It seems that my job here is done for now, and I have catching up to do.."

"Catching up, ah, I get it. You were away in your own forbidden mystical kingdom like place ,for quite sometime. You could try the new sushi joint that they had opened. God, they are to die for." Said Peter cheerfully.

Right then, the mystery stopped right on his tracks, looked back at Peter through the narrow slits of his eyes. Bizarre and mystifying would way to describe them.

 _Did I say something wrong?_

Peter stared hard at him.

"Thank you spider-man, for all your support." said the mystery man as he started to move away from him slowly, slowly pacing up"

"Yeah, guess I will be seeing you around then?"

 _What's up with that sudden look he gave me? Maybe something about me mentioning the mystical kingdom got him. But who cares? Right? It was all a joke that I mentioned. K'un-L'un, a mystical kingdom? That has a good ring to it._

"You can bet on it" said Iron fist smiled as he completely disappeared now.

Peter was exhilarated to fight beside someone with almost similar strengths as himself. He was finally happy that he could relate to someone. Spidey clicked his heels in satisfaction when he remembered.

 _MJ. She was all injured lying on the cold had cement all by herself. I hope that she just doesn't create a scene up._

Peter sighed.

And just as he was about to take off, he heard a sudden rumbling up above.

Peter was in for huge surprised when he lifted up his head, never actually thought something so huge, so majestic just hovering overhead.

 _Hhmm, look just like an airbus falling straight from the sky_ said Peter as he looked up with sheer awe.

Peter had never seen anything like it ever in his entire life. Man it was huge, looked like some kind of huge super-duper air bus.

And to make it awesome, it was hovering above a nearby building. Maybe it is trying to land on that building.

 _Shit, that is where MJ is lying down._

With wasting a second more, he swung to the building as fast as he could and found MJ lying still on the ground, just as he had left her.

It seemed that she was still unconscious and was very cold. Peter quickly picked her up, took her in her arms, paced up to somewhere safe and sure enough there was the airbus, hovering, maybe around two hundred feet above the terrace where he was still standing on.

Wait a minute, the airbus was hovering!

That wasn't right.

As the carrier began its controlled descend, Peter found it increasingly difficult to stand his ground.

The bus looked like a military grade. A cargo plane.

At a glance, he could make out the distinct four distinct turbo fan engines and the plane was huge. Judging from the size of the aircraft, maybe it could hold a few families in it, living lavishly with ample space and comfort without the slightest compromise. Apart from the other common features of any air craft, it was difficult for him to not gawk at the additional pair of engines that looked like repulsors, just like Tony Stark's (hence its hovering and perfect vertical movement of such an extremely humungous ship) and half-length wings located at the tail section of the fuel usage below any conventional elevated tail section. Maybe this is what gives it an improved boost in its speed and air maneuverer, better control.

It was huge beyond his comprehension.  
The body seemed to be made of a very high grade steel plates with appeared to bolted and welded with artistic precision and there were strange reflecting panels all over the carrier which made it fluctuate between visibility and invisibility.

And once again Spidey could most certainly, never take off his eyes on the strange huge large additional engines at the periphery of the wings of the airbus which that mimicked like Tony Stark's repulsors.

They were repulsors alright. Any true follower of Anthony Howard Stark should be easily able to identify a repulsor when he or she sees one.

Oh, come on, isn't it like every science geek's fetish to meet with the great Tony Stark?

Right who wouldn't?

And for someone so very famous, it was almost a dream for Peter to actually see a full complete working model of Mr Stark's sheer brilliance and all his inventions everything etched right on his mind, so vivid, something so well known that all of it seemed to be like muscle memory

And there it was, two humungous repulsors firing hot gases that would probably tear the place down.

And of course, the indomitable fabled and famed 'Arc Reactor'.

The energy source that is the answer to all the world's energy problem, the perfect sustainable energy system for all of mankind.

The aircraft was armed with Gatling guns and other weapons that seemed to poke out as he had only seen in a Call of Duty game. He was awe struck.

Peter now looked at the airbus that stood before him as it released gusts of dust and grit into the air. The airbus looked like a globe master. He knew about that because, he had to submit a project and he took up globe master.

And then it landed, made a soft touch down.

As the humungous aircraft powered down, he could feel the resistance from the aircraft dwindling and found it easy to stand his ground.

A few seconds later he saw the hatch on the rear open up with a loud hiss.

Right then, six of them emerged from the open hatch. The first three of them walked confidently and descended down the hatch that behaved like a ramp. They were suited up just like they were some sort of secret agents. All of them donned a jet black suits except the three of them who stood in near the hatch entrance, maybe were they guarding the opening, but they looked young, of course older than him but definitely a hell lot younger than the three agents who were walking towards him now.

Well, maybe they were spies. Spidey didn't have a bit of clue. But he was sure of one thing, they were not his enemies. His spider-sense did not tingle anymore.

The group was headed by a middle aged man with slightly receding hairline and behind him the five of them walked in a spearhead formation.

The man stood a few feet away from him and Spidey found himself tensed and wrapped MJ tightly around his arms protectively.

 _If they were thinking of doing something to her, they were gonna have to face me first._

"If you people think, you can get to her, it is the last of your problems. I am seriously pissed and make one wrong move, you are going to regret".

Peter didn't trust these people even though there was no warning by his spider sense.

People showing out of the blue for no reason. Secret agents or not, he is not going down without a fight. The only person he trusted right now is himself and he would do anything to keep them safe. Trust issues are a bitch.

The man who lead the group looked like he was the boss, was relaxed, maintained a calm demeanour, his thin lips revealed a little confident smile.  
His arms were on the front, right palm kept over his left arm and stood in a relaxed posture with sufficient gap between his legs.

"I'm Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland and Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. And we have come here to help you clear up this mess and don't worry, we are not here to take anything or to hurt you. We are the government. We are here to help"

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	7. Chapter 7

Author's note – Helllo guys. So sorry I took an awful amount of time to write this chapter. Actually I had my semester exams. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer - I don't own any characters of Marvel.

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Spidey stared at him.

The Strategic Homeland and Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division

S.H.E. . Standing right in front of him.

Was any of this real?

Aliens descending from the sky, a billionaire flying in a metal suit, a century old war hero, a giant green monster and a god and this was the very last thing that he actually needed.

Come on!

The SHEILD is a government organisation to put it simply dealing on espionage, a law enforcement and a counter terrorism agency, a last line of defence against humanity.

Or so he thought it to be.

Spidey took a long hard look at the aircraft that looked something that just felt other worldly. And then Peter looked at the people who flanked the so named Agent Coulson. There was a male agent and a female agent. Both of them had hard faces, no bull-shit type face cuts.

Spidey could make out a nasty blue black bruise up on the male agent's cheek but overall he looked strong, had a confident demeanour. He was a clean cut Caucasian with dark brown hair and probably brown eyes. He was a six foot one, maybe a foot or two more, give or take. Peter could see that he had a solid athletic toned built, an excellent physique that he had attained after years of combat training. A slight frown upon his otherwise good looking fierce face.

And as for the female agent, she looked to be an Asian with brown hair. She had a petite body frame, a stoic facial expression along with her hands were placed on her hips in an akimbo fashion, made her someone that she should not be fiddled around.

Well, practically both the agents had a rather uncommunicative demeanour, which was fine by the way. Well what could he expect? He could expect such an organisation to be anywhere near vapid.

Well, that is how government agents looked, right? All tough, forged under extreme forces and the countless missions.

Anyway and the other three agents who were at the ramp's entrance, were fairly young compared to the three biggies that stood near him. Maybe a year or three older that himself, maximum.

Spidey suddenly felt, some minor twitching of MJ's limp body.

Shit. She was hurt. He had to do something, maybe ask them for help.

Wait, but could he really trust them?

Lately he had been having a lot of trust issues and maybe the day is not far away, he might end up having a withdrawal symptom or something.

He was just about to take off, when the middle aged agent spoke up.

"Spider-man, you can bring her over, let my team look after her. She looks pretty bad and who might know, she might end up having a severe concussion…"

Spidey took one look at MJ.

Lord!

She looked too battered, all bloodied and maybe a bashed up forehead. Spidey's head was too screwed up. Maybe he had to trust them anyway. If he didn't listen, maybe she might end up having something serious.

Peter looked back at the agent who was walking hurriedly towards him followed by the three other agents who were near the ramp –the fairly young agents.

The one with flowing hair looked cute and beside him came a boy with a boyish handsomeness lingering over his face but the worry on his face, made it a bit comical. They looked friendly enough.

But when they neared her, Peter felt a sudden urge to pick herself and run her away with her.

Well, how could he not?

People freakishly strong, an unknown man with a fist on fire, agents dropping from the sky and now the only thing left now is his imagination altered into reality.

Well, he wouldn't be surprised if that even happened.

The long haired female agent sat down in front of MJ's limp body. She gave a kind concerned look to Peter trying to reassure him. Then she moved her hands over her wrist feeling her pulse.

"She is weak. We have to prep her for surgery." She said in a thick British accent.

Then she quickly looked at the wound to her head that had already turned blue black by now.

"She has lost a lot of blood. And there is something in her head wound. Fitz, give me a hand, we have to move her to the BUS immediately."

 _Ok, the boy is Fitz. He was a blond with short curls all over his face._

"Yeah, I will hold her legs and you take a hold of her head ."

Fitz had a thick rich Scottish accent.

"No. both of you stand down, I will take her inside if you insist so much."

Spidey had a certain malice in his voice. He couldn't simply help it. These supposedly "agents" were a bit too young to perform complex surgery but her hands looked experienced, the she was moving them across MJ's forehead completely ignoring the warning that he just threw at them.

"Ok, then.. um.. Spider-man? Bring her inside. Quickly, do not tally." She said urgently.

Spidey Placed one arm around MJ's back and the other underneath her knees and lifted her with ease into his arms and broke in to a small jog. Her head rested lightly on peter's shoulder, some of the dried up blood sticking to his costume.

Peter felt like crying. MJ was supposed to be his responsibility.

How could he let himself go all haywire? He couldn't protect her from those freaks and now she was almost dead.

All of this was his fault. She was his responsibility and he had failed her.

He felt like breaking up. He felt so broken up inside. It was like he was living example of pure failure. Nothing else mattered to him. The only thing that kept him going was the feeble pulse of her wrist that was too painful to hear. It was so painful, just like the faint periodic flutter of a butterfly's wings.

He knew that he had to be strong. He had to bring help her. He just could not fathom if anything ever were to happen to her. Denuding himself of all unpleasant thoughts, he followed the two young agents when he saw the third agent make an eye contact with her team mate. She gave a light nod to her and rushed inside.

Silent conversation of course.

Just as he was about to enter the air bus through the ramp, he could not help but noticing the bright red vintage looking convertible. It was a typical Chevrolet corvette. He wondered how come such an old piece of junk was doing in something so high tech.

Peter was amazed how people could still hold on to such a model. Peter half envied the agent whoever owned it. It was something worth looking at. Well you never actually ever get to see one of these now a days. And besides that it stood beside a Lexus suv. There was a lab just facing the garage where the young female agent with the curly blond hair ran up to the panel that was attached near the door and punched in the security code furiously. These young agents seemed experienced. They never faltered for a second, both of them completely focussed on the problem at hand.

As the door swung open, the other girl rushed inside. The English girl quickly slipped into her operating coat and motioned Peter to make lay her on a small operating table. Peter quickly rushed in to the operating table and slowly placed her on the steel bed making sure that she receives no shock on her head and then carefully pushed the rest of her body in symmetry along the bed.

Peter took a step back.

"Spiderman, let us handle this." Said the curly haired boy with so very sincere eyes that he had last seen only in Gwen's.

Speaking of Gwen, he had to tell her what happened.

Shit! Shit! All of this was a mistake. He had to break it to her. Someone needed to know and Aunt may and Watson as well.

Spidey slowly paced backwards from the lab till he reached the entrance point of the room. That was when he saw ran his eyes through the entire room. He had never seen such advanced stuff ever in his life. All the equipment here, they were top of the class, no compromise, from a test tube holder, a centrifuge, Bayesian inference, beam splitters, motion estimators to every other equipment.

All his attention was now strained on the agent with who quickly moved to MJ's head and bent down, the male agent scuttled behind her with a tray of surgery equipment. Spidey didn't want to see the operation. Surgery, blood and gore had always been his weakness. He could handle minor injuries but now operation on the head was a bit too much. He turned his head when he saw the ramp making a whirling sound, slowly closing up. He quickly ran up to the hatch when he saw the agent Coulson.

"Hey what is all this?" Spidey was spooked. He was now in the custody of Agent Coulson's team and he didn't like it at all.

"I am sorry Spider-man, but you must understand we must remain in air cause the next target just came up. Its in California. And if you are thinking of informing Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, your high school girlfriend, don't worry. It has already been taken care of, web head or should I say Peter Parker."

Peter froze right where he stood. He could not feel his legs anymore. The sudden lurch of the air bus did not make him falter his stance. For Christ's sake, he wore a mask. He never exposed even an inch of his skin and there it is. People just simple seemed to see right through his mask.

Is this a joke? First the man with the blazing fist and now a group of secret agents. At this rate, the only one left to know his identity was The President.. Oh wait, they might have already informed him. These stupid wannabes work for the government don't they? Maybe this is already out in the press. J Jonah Jameson won't leave him in peace. His life will be screwed big time. Spidey slowly took off his mask and looked at Agent Coulson. His eyebrows knitted together.

"What is the problem with you people? Why do know all this stuff? I wear a mask for a reason, can't you people simply let it be?" Peter didn't have energy to be angry any more. He looked at Agent Coulson with contempt and sadness.

Isn't this all a joke?

"Peter I know what you are going through…"

"What?" Peter cut him right at the middle. He lost all his calm and composure. He clutched his mask hard, the veins of his hand where it was clutched bulged unnaturally that was, without a doubt pumping large pints of blood.

"Do you know a why I wear this mask? Huh … ? This fucking stands for something. It is hope. Making the people believe that it is safe outside. Somebody is out there to watch you. And this mask helps me protect the people that I truly care. Not like you all fake wannabe agents jumping out, taking people hostage. This is not at all fine. You all fake government agents.. you know the only thing that stupid agents conspire against, is your own country. You all should just leave us alone, let us do our jobs in peace and mind your own damn businesses in the sky sipping martinis and whatever you all prefer." Peter waited and sucked in gusts mouthfuls of air. Allowing himself to calm down. His face was all red and flustered over. Eyes were bloodshot and corner of his eyes seemed to be glistening. He was sobbing silently. He had never ever broken down, at least not in this way, not since his uncle Ben passed away.

Peter was broken. All of this was too much to fathom in. All he just wished was to run away, some place far away and remain in a place where could he lie down relax, be free, completely unencumbered of whatever was in store in for him.

Peter fell on his knees, his face buried beneath his latex gloved hands. Peter could make out his the distorted facial muscles trying to find desperately let go of the anguish that was building up... like venom.

"Hey webhead, get a hold of yourself, we just don't care what you are going to think of us but right now just keep in your mind one thing, we have come to help you … mind you, only to help."

Peter looked up at her. She was the agent who was ordered by the British one to get her fetch something. Whatever it was, looked important enough.

"How come you of all people would understand what I have been going through? Just leave me be or I might end up doing something that all of you will regret"

Her face was straight faced but her faced cut looked a tad Asian. Maybe someone was Asian, her father or mother. Well, she was right in a way. SHEILD was helping to patch MJ up. How could be he so vile?

The agent was taken a little aback by those sudden words and she could not think of anything more. She quietly went back to the British agent.

"Skye, let him be. This is not the first time, I have witnessed such an outbreak. Its common among young heroes. Let him figure it out itself." So saying Agent Coulson stopped near him and placed his right palm on Peter's shoulder. Peter could feel the warmth of his huge hand seep through his suit and gave him a slight shake.

Peter looked up at him expectantly, through his tear stained face. "When you are ready, come and meet in my office. I have something to show you." Saying so, he gave a warm smile, a smile that was eloquent to a strong ray of sunlight tear through the dark clouds forcing all his doubts and remorse at bay.

As Agent Coulson moved through the pathway, preferably to his office, he said "Agent Ward and Agent May meet me at my office."

Peter pulled his puffy eyes and looked at the agents. They were staring at him the whole time staring at him the whole time quizzically, before finally turning their backs on him and followed down the same short pathway that that Agent Coulson had been.

 _Maybe his office is down there._ Peter thought.

The whole carriage was brightly lit. He slowly stood up and calmed his nerves. Peter knew that he had to play along with these people. SHEILD were the good ones, everyone knew about that. HYDRA were the rotten ones. Still, Peter knew better not to ever meddle in secret organisations. They had secrets, secrets that could question a man's foundation. Maybe it is for the best. Maybe they are what that is actually stringing all people together and above all MJ is getting treated.

Speaking of MJ, what is up with her? He had to look for her. What is happening inside? Peter stood up slowly, his legs had grown numb. He took some time to get the blood circulate though his legs.

Extremely unpleasant. Peter slowly limped and stooped a little. He could actually feel the hot pulsing blood coursing through his veins.

 _I have to be strong, at least for her. She had to endure so pain. Only if I had been careful enough._ Peter scolded himself as he limped to the cubicle laboratory. He stood a few steps away from the clear glass and peered through it staring right at her hand. Her jacket had blood stains all over, precision instruments, scalpel and other medical scissors lay strewn all over the plate in a disordered fashion laced with her blood. Peter had to know what was going on inside? What had actually happened to her?

The last thing that he remembered is that there was something stuck in her head as reported by the medical agent there, who was working with precise quick movements. He looked at the boy who was standing beside her. His right hand clasped his mouth completely. Seeing him, in such a terrible state, Peter wondered what had actually gotten in MJ's head that even the agents were shocked.

As he tried to assess their feelings towards, what exactly they were thinking, he could feel the slow rumble of the engine that was now starting up. It was just like a dragon that had been sleeping for so long, waiting to unfurl its wings, as though the only home it had, was only the open blue sky. He could feel the slow lurch slightly as the turbines started to move at its full speed pushing the ground below, trying desperately to attain height. As it reached a certain height, the repulsors, powered up completely releasing huge air gusts. Peter slowly walked to a nearby window to take a look outside.

The aircraft moved at a rapid pace vertically, above ground, trying to attain height. And man, it was smooth. It was almost like moving up slowly as if he were in a hot air balloon. Only minimal vibrations that he felt were worth ignoring, only the burnt up helium was all that affected him. But here inside the Airbus, he could not fell anything.

 _Man, they sure have a sweet ride. No wonder, why they don't leave it? Well, I would have done the same._ He retraced his steps towards the laboratory where he saw the two of the scientists working their way. Soon it was just the two of them, whirling their way around the entire the entire room, like they were twins. Looked like they were linked together. Peter couldn't hear a single thing but he could see that she didn't make and single sound and nor did the Scottish accented agent. He just stood there watching the two of them go at it.

After sufficient time, maybe thirty minutes or so, the girl looked away from MJ and the boy took over, like watching MJ's bruised head with some kind of an antiseptic lotion and bandaging her head. When the ordeal was almost over, Peter had been staring at them expectantly, his eyes, pleading at them almost forcing them to say only the good news even though he knew it was bad. The young SHEILD gents did not have any smile on their faces, they were slightly apologetic as the two of them approached Peter. Peter took a step behind and allowed the two of them to decide who would be the one the break the news for him. The two of them argued harshly for some time but after sometimes, they put on their business faces again.

The Scottish agent first spoke "Hello, Spiderman. Before saying anything further, I think it would be just rude on our part not to formally introduce ourselves to you, because you know that all of us up here is already acquainted with you .."

The female agent quickly followed him ensuring a steady flow of speech. "or atleast what you are by the book or off the book. Okay then, I am Agent Jemma Simmons. And this is my friend .."

"Agent Fitz. Leo Fitz. Or you know you can just call me Fitz. She majors in biochem and I in engeering. " He smiled at Peter.

Peter couldn't help retain the grumpy face that he had earlier on. His face broke into a smile. Both the agents looked at him and smiled at him. They were young agents, one or two years older than him at most.

Were agents really recruited at such a young age? Peter looked at them and he instantly felt comfortable as if he could relate to them. They were innocent, at least that was what he could make out, maybe they had seen a lot but there was no hiding that the two of them were actually delighted to see someone of their own age and there was something about them, that made his heart warm. He knew that he could be comfortable with them.

Agent Jemma Simmons spoke up first, her face turning pensive and serious all of a sudden. "You were so right to bring her up here so that we could attend to her. Whatever that remained lodged in her forehead, we have successfully been able to remove it but … "

"But what?" Peter blurted out rather roughly, without actually meaning to.

This time Agent Fitz spoke out, taking a step forward, Peter didn't find it hard to guess that Fitz here was obviously very protective of Agent Simmons. Maybe they even have a thing going on between themselves.  
"I guess, it is a bit complicated but the thing is, she might be having trouble remembering who she is which I am sure is temporary.." Fitz said shrugging a little and the rest whatever Fitz said to him just seemed too insignificant to lend his ears to. He looked back at the table where MJ lay down peacefully completely oblivious to where she now lay. Could she really not recognise anyone?

Peter could hardly picture her. The way her green eyes would stare back at the people she once loved? Memories that were worth cherishing? Peter could hear his heart quicken its pace. Another failure. He failed Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy and now it has come to his best friend MJ. It was so heart wrenching that Peter could hear a loud ringing in his ears as though everything faded away. Before succumbing to his own inner demons, there was a sharp yank on his right hand that tumbled and brought him crashing down in the bus.

"Hey are you all right? You look pale" said Fitz as Agent Simmons approached him and looked at his eyes.

Peter shuddered.

Jemma stood near him and stared right back into Peter's brown eyes. She could see that they were all dilated, showing several emotions all at once. The turmoil inside him was evident and understandable. Jemma looked at him with kind eyes. "Nope, he is not doing well. He stressed out."

"Fitz why don't you go and make some tea for the three of us here as I explain Peter what is wrong with his friend Mary Jane."

"Okay, three cups of herbal green chamomile tea coming right up" said Fitz cheerfully quickly disappeared right around the corner. Looked like he was happy to be away from all that was going on. Peter could see that Fitz was shaken. There was something similar about him. He just felt it but he couldn't exactly place it.

Peter shook his head. He had to get MJ back on her feet. That was the only reason he entered this outrageous humungous aircraft. He would just leave readily no matter how friendly all of them seemed to be, there was something that was nagging him constantly. Like a class test gone bad.

"Peter, you really don't have to worry. I bet she will be fine, just give her some time. You know damage to the head requires a lot of rest. But I am not exactly guaranteeing you that she might be completely alright. There might be lapses in memory. You see, whatever just happened, whatever was lodged in her forehead was quite deep enough which sent shocks on her frontal lobe that could be synchronous to lobotomy. Like maybe she lost a part of herself but I can't exactly figure out how far has her been memory blocked out. But I can assure you that I have assessed the damage and I feel that at most she will have no recollection during the past twenty four hours."

"Are you sure?" said Peter, his voice almost cracking up. He needed all his strength to stop another outburst of tears. These were agents and they professional. He had to be professional as well, pull himself up together and think all of this through.

"Yes of course, don't worry, it will take time to heal her but human brain is one of the most complex organ that constantly astonishes us. It has untapped potential, so whatever just is just happening, think of it as something good. I am sure that something is gonna come out of it. So just try to be positive and let everything sort itself out."

Peter mind raved around, whatever he had heard from the good doctor Agent Simmons here. The only thing that kept him sane was the fact the MJ was really going be okay somehow. He only wanted her in one piece, without any broken bones, or a broken mind. It was like something Peter could never understand. People unable to protect themselves, injuries, dying out … all in a constant circle, taking away piece by piece out of him, every time. Somehow it seems like he will never be free of his own demons.

"Okay, now you could go and freshen yourself and then I think you should you should go and see Agent Coulson. He has something for you." Agent Simmons put a reassuring arm on Peter's shoulder and squeezed it ever so lightly. Peter knew that Agent Simmons was right. There was absolutely no use torturing himself over this incident and he prayed with all his might for MJ to recover as quickly as possible and there was a tiny wish in somewhere along the deepest vestige in his mind that MJ would actually forget this incident had actually happened. True, he felt guilty of it. How could he think like that? He felt filled with guilt but still, he wished for her recovery anyhow. Peter knew that whatever he wished for, it was actually all for the god for everyone around. Peter walked slowly to the lab, where she was lying peacefully now. He looked at her and saw the heart rate monitor showing a steady slow and relaxed heartbeat pulse. He caressed her head ever so slowly. Peter bent down placing his knee cap firmly on the floor. He planted a small soft kiss on her fore head. He had this sudden desire to get inside her head, heal her and remove the incident from her head together. He wanted to do that so badly. Peter buried his head between MJ's fingers. He could get a faint stench of exfoliants, astringent and some form of antiseptic lotion.

He waited for a few seconds and rubbed her hand sandwiching it between his fingers.

Peter knew that it would do no good, simply by standing beside her. He had to freshen himself up and maybe meet Agent Coulson. Maybe he has something to offer. Peter slowly got up to his knees, he could feel the burning sensation on his legs as his heart pumped blood at the previously blocked veins of his legs. He stumbled and worked on his gait, waited, stood for a few seconds and waited for his legs free of any cramps. He slowly walked out of the laboratory as the entrance door swished open to make way for his exit.

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As he made way through the corridor when he was a stairway that what looked like as if it was leading to a floor another floor. Just as he reached the end of a short flight of stairs, he was stunned to see the room that fell onto his eye sight. Right in front of his eyes, he saw what looked like to be something obviously important and catchy as it was a glass in area lit by next generation monitors and computer screens, something that he had never seen in except on his field trip at Oscorp, but these systems seemed to be more advanced. And as he continued in his way inside, he came across a white and a silver kitchen space and the eating area nearby was flanked by five sleeping modules each with a wall monitor and a one way mirror glass. Everywhere was spotless. Even the floor seemed to be made of some kind of light compressed strong ceramic. Right then, he saw Fitz emerge right from the kitchen, nearly knocking him in the process nearly spilling the contents of the cup on him.

"Oh, I am sorry Agent Fitz. I didn't see you in the kitchen, so I just…"

Fitz cut him right off. "Hey, don't apologise for this. But anyway it's alright, and please for the love of God, call me Fitz." Said Agent Fitz giving him a goofy grin. "I see you have been taking a tour around. But I wanted to give you one." Said Fitz thrusting a cup of tea into his hands. Peter brought the cup near his nose and took a whiff of the smell of the clear tea water. There was a sweet fragrance of sweet smelling flowers and a slight hint of … what was it? … apple. Peter was really curious how actually the concoction would taste. He put cup at the edge of the rim of the tea cup and tilted it.

He could taste crisp apple and a very sweet fragrant flower like smell that further elevated the taste. Peter knew thought that consumption of tea would be soo very exotic. The light, airy, palpable taste coupled with honey was something equivalent to an elixir. It was simple mind blowing …

Fitz gave him a tour of the BUS and showed him a brief tour around the entire station.

"Officially it is a mobile command station, but we call it the BUS. We find it best to use shorthand when in the field. But everything had to be so, you know because of the danger." Even Agent Simmons accompanied him and followed him around. Peter could feel his scientific curiosity start to surface once again when he heard the two young Agents go on and on about Microbiology and rocket technology. He wondered if it was so very easy for them. He looked at the two of them and he could see a lost part of himself stowed somewhere far away locked deep within, he had never felt like tj=his, meaning homely, people who he could have an actual conversation other than Gwen. It is not that that he didn't enjoy with her but spending time with these agents made him see a whole new perspective of things that he could never even imagined ceasing to exist. They were agents for a reason and Peter could see that now. They were brilliant. Their thinking was something entirely different that got him very curious right from the start. They didn't mind him tagging along as Peter spoke and spoke to them regarding varying fields. The thing is that Peter was gifted in his own way. His enhanced intellect and being a geek, he could join Fitz and Simmons who accepted him wholeheartedly. Sometimes he saw an elder brother and a sister in them but he could not help noticing peculiar connection that they shared, the way the two of them looked at each other or sometimes even the manner by which the two of them completed each other's sentences.

As they were moving around the BUS, there came another moment when he stumbled upon Agent Skye, as she was typing away furiously, on her laptop. Peter could see the excessive strain could very well, show the veins that were exposed and throbbing at her temples. She turned around and looked at the three of them, eyeing Peter with a certain hostility.

"Oh, Skye, I hope you have met our guest on-board Peter Parker , known as Spider-man, New York's web slinger. And Peter, this is agent Skye. She is a gifted computer and electronic hacker."

Peter could fell his heart beat spike up. It was Agent Skye, on whom he had previously screamed at. He felt guilty for doing so, now that his mind had calmed down, significantly.

"Hello, there … um … Agent Skye. Pleased to meet you." Peter was a little shaken about it when he first took a look at her. It looked out like, she was gonna lash at him any second now …

"Humph, whatever." Said Agent Skye without even bothering to look up at him, barely acknowledging his presence.

Simmons said, "Come on Skye. Don't be rude. You know, things have pretty harsh when you first joined us." Said Agent Simmons trying to reason out with her.

With a sudden outburst, she jumped up from her bed, her hands clenched with enough force, making her knuckles bulge out distinctively from her fingers. Her sudden reaction made Peter move a few steps back.

"What does Mr. Spiderman, over here think when he screamed at me like that? I don't know how come the two of you are even hanging out together. But just get out of my sight before I start throwing things at him and you as well Simmons." Said Agent Skye as she flung the door right on their faces. Peter felt bad. He knew he was too harsh. He should not have lashed out so strongly at her.

"I should apologise her. I know that I should have not said it too harshly but.." said Peter putting his head down. It was a bad move. He had just been to a cool BUS and he was already making enemies.

"No, no just don't be. She just has a lot on her mind right now. Well, I should say it is very unlike her to be so rude, maybe there is something that is setting her off. I should speak to her. Fitz why don't you take Peter and continue the tour around and don't forget …"

"To take him to Coulson's office." Both of them said synonymously. It was weird. There was an uncanny connection, more like a brother and a sister sharing the same head, same conscience. He found it cute.

"Yes of course" said Fitz.

"He needs to know what is going on. Okay then, see you around" Said Agent Simmons as she disappeared around behind Agent Skye's bunker, closing the door behind her.

"Well then mate, I think you should probably go to Coulson's office and see what he has to tell you and if want you can freshen yourself up. You can use the washroom. It is just around the corner and freshen yourself up."

"Thank you, Fitz. I loved the cup of tea that you made for me. I haven't tasted anything like this. Who knew tea would be soo pleasant?"

"I know, right. Actually, it was Simmons who brought the tea. She says it was a gift and I just brewed it. So its technically her, who you should be thanking."

"Of course, of course. I will. Let me just place this cup in the sink." Said Peter as he started to move towards the kitchen.

"Oh no. I would do that. You just wash yourself and there are some fresh clothes waiting for you in my bed, inside your backpack. Change into them."

"How did you guys know where I keep my backpack?" Peter was stunned. At least he wasn't ready to hear that. Then even knew where he hung his back pack up.

"Well, you are dealing with SHEILD right now."

"Right. Okay then.". It will be best if he doesn't question any agent why, how or anything like that. They know everything. They simply defy logic. Basically, it is just encroachment of his privacy.

"Yeah, freshen yourself up and meet Coulson. It is up those stairs."

"Yeah, will do." Said Peter cheerfully as he made way into Fitz's room.

Peter slowly turned the knob on the door and the door opened up noiselessly. Peter peeped inside. He took a step inside and made sure there were no hidden cameras in the room ad in the bathroom. The room was so quaint. It was painted in white. There was a small cupboard where a neat pile of clothes lay which was Fitz's. There was a table and a chair which had a few odd electronic items strewn around haphazardly. The bed was a little bigger than the usual single person bed. It looked comfortable enough. It just had Peter's bag on the bed that remained unzipped. At this point he just didn't care if they really rummaged his bag pack. They were government agents and they always have to be sure that he was really not someone who would be threat to their BUS. Peter bolted the door from the inside and freshened up. He changed into the casuals that was still intact in his bag. He stowed the suit inside, pulled it over his shoulder and came out from Agent Fitz's room. He slowly quietly looked around and so one loitering about in BUS. He quietly made his way through the stairs which had Coulson's office. As he made to the top floor, he found a huge mahogany door that had SHEILD's logo embossed on it beautifully. He politely knocked the door.

"Come in" a rasped voice came out from the door behind. Just as he took a step forward, the swung open. He saw Agent Coulson sitting behind a huge table, like a school's principle does.

"Here, take a seat." Peter quietly sat himself behind the chair.

"So Peter, I get that Agents Fitz and Simmons have helped you. I will go directly to the point. You know why I have let you come here of all places? I never allow people on this mobile base of SHEILD, let alone see it. So whatever I am going to tell you is extremely important and I hope you maintain that. Do I have your word?"

Agent Coulson looked at Peter's eyes, calm and commanding, someone not to be messed around.

"Yes, you can trust me. I am a treasure chest. No amount of prying can reveal anything."

"Well, don't you people swear on the name of mother or father someone you respect that you won't say a thing? That what you young teens normally do, right?"

"Uh … well I thought, it will not be appropriate in any way to swear near agents."

"Okay then, what can you tell me about this?" Agent Coulson pushed the Steel Serpent wrapped paper towards Peter as he placed his elbow on the table and looked at him earnestly.

Peter took one look at the paper. He knew what Agent Coulson wanted to know. He knew that it would be better if told him everything. So Peter slowly started to narrate how MJ worked upon the article on the Steel Serpent, his first encounter with those meth heads, how Gwen had referred the compound as extrimis. Agent Coulson became particularly interested when he mentioned extrimis, leaving out the golden fisted warrior entirely. He did not want to bring another equation into whatever problem they already had, but the main reason was that, somehow he couldn't trust them and since he was helped by the iron strong fist, he thought it to be the best if he left him. He helped him and maybe there was a reason why he hadn't revealed himself to the world so far, there was a reason; and he respected that. But Agent Coulson, on the other hand, kept poking and prying Peter with more and more questions regarding the extrimis – where he heard about that, everything about it. But when Peter could not mention anything other than whatever crude half-baked information that Gwen told him, well technically it was not even half baked, Phil Coulson heaved a sigh. Peter could not exactly make out if it was relief from his solemn puckered face, if he should be worried by it.

He sat back resting his back on the chair so that he did not have to stare at those intense brown eyes. Peter put his head down, unable to think exactly what he should exactly do next. Agent Coulson, seemed apparently satisfied, then slowly started to speak stressing in each and every word as he continued to speak.

"Peter. I am again warning you. Since I have decided to help you on your mission, whatever I tell you, should never ever leave the BUS. Okay, can you promise me that? And also that includes your red headed friend and your blonde girl friend."

"Alright, I accept.". Peter wanted all of this to end as soon as possible.

Agent Coulson, pulled open a drawer that slid smoothly, other than the slow frictionless movement of rollers, he produced a file, a rather old one in fact that maybe had never seen the light of day for soo long, the shield insignia almost a fade away, only the bright "CLASSIFIED" was the only thing prominent on the file. He pushed the file towards Peter. He looked at the brown beige file and opened it up. Peter opened it and the first thing he saw was a group of scientists, a particularly old one in the middle.

"Dr Abraham Erskine was the first person ever to develop the super serum that helped captain Steve Rogers you know reach his peak potential and since then, there had been countless failed attempts to recreate the serum and every attempt had been a failure, every single one of them and extrimis had been one of them. It is completely uncontrollable because of its alien chitauri nature, gamma radiation and the extrimis virus. Its formulation was something so very exotic that made it unstable but you know people always sought to do change inspite of knowing that. A fascinating paradox. They messed around with it and they have made demons. Unstoppable ones out of normal human people. And now we see something similar over here, the symptoms are same but more aggravated. Miss Stacy was right .. Absolutely right when. You said that she overheard a few scientists speaking about it."

Peter nodded. He could understand what was really at stake here. All the countless experimentations on the people, their struggle, the way they submitted themselves and at last. And as he shuffled across the last page, he stumbled across the name Mike Peterson under the headline of "Project - CENTIPEDE" and several photos of him.

"And that's Mike Peterson. He has somehow been able to survive the Centipede program. He is currently under observation. He is doing well. He is our greatest asset. Right now, the drug seemed to have stabilised in him. He is under training right now and stabilised I hope. One of our biggest assets ever."

Peter looked at him, seems to be a decent man, hard to think that he had to undergo so much difficulty, one of the first test subjects to have finally survived the program and obviously, this something pretty big for the government to interfere, but somewhere in the a distant small recess of his mind, harbouring odious thoughts about the compromise of his identity that still was constantly nagging him.

"Agent Coulson, I know you people have plenty of protocols all at risk here but does your boss know about me. Well, my identity?"

"I know what you are trying to say, but I think I should keep your revelation safe with us because I don't think anything good is going to come out of it anyway. Your identity won't be going into our list."

"Wait, you are saying, that you people list people … like a 'list' list?" said Peter utterly confused

"Well, you could say, we actually keep a list of people who have … unnatural abilities to put it in a way. You never know, what they could do to our world, so we keep a strict eye on them. You know about that right, because the world is not ready to embrace these people and you won't be in that list. You are a hero for the people of New York ad I am sorry about our encroachment of your privacy but I have to tell you that it was necessary."

"And what about the others? Are they good?"

"You can trust them. My team is good." said Agent Coulson as he nodded with approval.

"As long as the people I care are protected" said Peter realising that Agent Coulson meant it. He knew this was possibly the best course of action. Agent Coulson slacked his shoulders and got up from his chair, his face was strained due to something that clearly bothered him. Seeing him rise from the chair made Peter get up from the chair involuntarily. Peter had seen enough detective shows and movies to figure out that this was his cue to leave.

"So if we are clear, I would very much appreciate your help in this matter. We know the way you work, its good. You are a lone man army, I see that but you see sometimes help is always an added bonus."

"Yeah I see that. Well, you see I like speaking, you know open to people so that we are on the same page, you know lets me figure out stuff, but if I don't get that opportunity everytime…"

Agent Coulson put an arm on his shoulder. This time it was somewhat firm, like a support. He looked commanding, his face had grown severe with distraught all of a sudden like he had undergone a terrible ordeal once and somehow emerged victorious. he suddenly looked a lot older, a dark terrible shadow cast upon his face, like he had something sinister inside him, like a majestic lion, growling through his contemplative mind that he could no longer hide.

"And in this regard we like very much appreciate your help. We need all hands on deck. They are people not to be messed with. And your help would be very much appreciated along with the team."

Peter considered this for a second, he knew that time had come to end this all, once and for all. And he saw the need for help. And about Mr Kung fu master with a fiery fist, he did not know his whereabouts or when he would exactly show up. He was well on his own right now, and these men in suits were his best bet.

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	8. Chapter 8

Author's note – Hello guys! As you all have already seen in the previous chapter, I have brought SHIELD here. And I hope, I have got the facts right. This chapter is basically how Peter tries to pacify himself working with SHIELD with MJ still in coma. I hope that I would be satisfy you. Any suggestion or if I get any facts wrong, please don't hesitate. PM me any time. And don't forget to leave reviews, they are like chocolate cookies for me. Enjoy.

Disclaimer – As usual, I don't own Spiderman or any characters of SHIELD.

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Agent Coulson had somehow gotten into Peter's skin. Peter could not simply ignore the very fact that Agent Coulson had this way with him that reminded him of his Uncle Ben.

Uncle Ben. He had been had one of the major people who had influenced him.

Well, influencing him till date.

"With great power, comes great responsibility."

He did not have any fatherly figure so far to look up to. Well he didn't need to. Aunt May looked after him well enough. She did a fairly good job. But here Agent Coulson made him realize what exactly someone so grown and male guardian would be like. And he believed him with all his heart. Or maybe he wanted to make him believe so, false pretensions? Might be.

But that was not really Agent Coulson's concern right now. He had a way of getting around his head and he succeeded.

Peter looked down for a few seconds before finally looking up and staring right at him and gave him a silent nod of appreciation. Agent Coulson broke into a small smile and motioned him to follow him as he slowly made his exit from his office.

"Okay go on, we have a spare a bunker where you can rest. Get a few hours' sleep, you never know when we might get an update."

Peter sometimes didn't get Agent Coulson. But he knew that cared for him, which was a fact. His eyes were all soulful as if he really was seeing someone inside Peter, a lost son perhaps or whatever it was, it was confusing. The way he behaved with him was warm and comforting.

Peter did not understand him. Was there something personal? Well that was not the way an agent should behave? Where was the cold and hard long soul piercing looking and not-giving-a-crap stare?

Was there an ulterior motive behind all of this? Peter was too tired to even think of anything anymore. His eyelids were growing heavy. He was sleepy. Too tired. But he was happy that Agent Coulson on the other hand behaved with him as though he really mattered to his team. Still he was still concerned about MJ. Simmons had already told him she was completely stabilised for the moment although she would have a temporary amnesiatic condition which might prevent her from remembering any event that might have during the past twenty four hours loss of memory. Still he could was not satisfied. She was too young to do such experiments that involves human biology, especially internal operations. She might have been an agent of SHEILD but this his conscience could not except the fact that someone who was a year or two older than him would get to handle human lives. And wasn't she young? How did she procure a licence? It was too confusing and sometimes he felt like his mind is about to explode. It was too much way much for him.

He looked at the made up unslept bed, the spotless white sheets, the blanket and a pillow which adorned the bed lay at the centre in perfect symmetry. It was as if it was calling him, so that the sheets could smoother him to sleep. A revitalising nap. Peter placed his head on the pillow. The cotton parted and took the shape of his head. It was almost like applying tourniquet to his bereaved mind. And this time, only pleasant thoughts pushed in his mind. And among them the most sweetest were with Gwen.

Gwen. Oh God! Gwen! It seemed so long since he last saw her. These were the times when he felt the need to speak with someone he knew, someone he was familiar with. If only Gwen could have been here. He needed to speak with her so bad. So very bad.

If only he could speak to her. Even Aunt May would surely be worried sick, well maybe he was worried about her more than her worrying about him. He just reached an empty bunker module where he found Fitz placing his bag on the bed and scratching his head vehemently as if he had missed something important.

Peter slowly made his way, knocking the door. Agent Fitz quickly turned his head around.

"Oh there you are Peter. Agent Coulson asked me to help you get your things in your room and since there was just only one bag, I thought why not place it myself, I didn't wait for you to come around if that's all right with you. And if you need something , I figured you needed something you can always come to me. And there is a small mini fridge if need to grab something solid or a sandwich or two and there is first aid kit should contain the basic medical stuff that you may need. And anyway I am just a few yards away from you".

"Thank you so much Fitz. I really appreciate for what you are doing but I need to ask for one small thing." Said Peter. He had to know, even these Agents had a family they could speak to.

"I was wondering if I can make contact with my aunt and Gwen. They might be worried of me. I should tell them that I am safe and not to worry about me anymore and MJ is right here with me."

"Of course, of course you are absolutely right. You have your cell phone right. You could simply use it right here, no problemo."

"Won't you guys have problem like signal interference or something"

"Of course, come on now, you didn't think The BUS of all places to be some conventional aircraft did you?" He gave a slight chuckle as he said that.

"So that means this aircraft here communicates on different frequencies" Peter figured out." which also means that SHEILD operates on completely different protocols, well why am I saying that is so obvious."

"Yeah of course". Fitz was giving him a strange look at him scratching his beard ever so slightly and musing at him as though he looked interesting.

"Is something wrong?" said Peter as he saw Fitz stare slowly starting to creep him out.

"No, no its nothing, maybe we will speak to you about it later. But right now, you have to have some rest and I will leave you up to it. You never know when your first mission might come up."

"Ok then goodnight." said Peter as he moved out of the narrow door to clear a path for Fitz.

"Goodnight, sleep tight". He waved at him as he left his module.

With his eyes growing absolute and heavy, he slowly fished out his phone and made two calls to his aunt and Gwen. And true to his guess, both of them were worried sick of him.

Agent Coulson had informed the two of them that MJ and himself will be with the Government to do some work for them and so he would not be available for a few days, a week tops.

He had to lie them. But technically it was not a lie, he really was working for the government but only in his superhero alter-ego except that of MJ. They could not tell her aunt that MJ was hurt because it would raise so many questions. So it would be best to turn the stories around, lay down a few paper trails here and there to make it authentic enough for eyes only.

Peter could pacify his aunt with easy although he hated it but he knew that Gwen would never believe the crap the SHEILD was trying to spin here. She knew something else was at play.

Well, she was the only one who knew his secret and what he and MJ had actually planned to do there in the cursed alleyway. And the very fact that the government knowing his secret was another dart that was now poking on his board of problems, but she assured him of being there for him without a second of flinching. This was what he liked about Gwen. They were like this perfect pair of two different sides. Someone who held him down and gave him assurance the way a girl would drive him, his strength, his weakness and his humanity, bringing out the best in him and suppressing the worst part of him. This was what kept him at check and maybe sane as well.

Peter smiled as she heard her speak out revelling in her voice alone. He slowly placed his head on the feathery soft pillow. It was like hearing a beautiful song, a very refined one. It was like this fine piece of music that his mind automatically played for him, her voice was this melody that maybe beat any other music that he had come across, pulling him across this.

The last thing that he remembered was him and Gwen professing their love and making cooing sounds, sounds cheesy right? But that was the last thing he remembered before his mind switched off as he drifted into a pool of quiet still water, completely undisturbed.

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Peter got up to the violent shaking of someone who may be pressed his hand too hard, Peter opened his eyes slowly. His eyes were still red, swollen and puffy as he looked at Fitz as he tried to shake his head this time.

"Peter, get up. We just received a new intel. Hurry up. " Fitz was practically shouting at him.

Peter groaned. His limbs were still sore.

"What time is time?" Asked Peter, his voice completely strained. He glanced at the digital clock beside his bed, resonating a constant beep beside his bed. It showed 5:43. His mind was still disoriented from the recent events that took place. It took him a brief moment when everything came crashing down, simultaneously. MJ, the blonde weird kung-fu master and those weird evil civilians with freakishly strong powers. He placed his palm on his head hoping to control the constant throb that was tearing him. He needed an aspirin. He reached up to the first aid kit and open it. The box was arranged in a systematic manner. All bandages, a roll of crepe bandage were rolled and stacked at one corner of the box. The other end of the box had aspirins, antiseptic lotion, paracetamol and other basic medicines.

Peter quickly pushed a pill from the strip and put it in his mouth and swallowed it with a mouthful of water. He opened the mini fridge.

"My my. They a well-stocked larder over here." whistled Peter.

There were several sandwiches, subs, coke, fruit juice and milk. Peter opened a bottle of fruit juice and gobbled up almost three fourth of it.

 _How was MJ doing?_ This thought almost made him choke. He felt guilty.

He could not cut himself any slack right now. He knew he had stuff to do. Peter sprung on his feet, splashed sparkling cold water on his face, freshened himself and slapped his face lightly.

He slipped on his snickers and headed out of his room and practically jogged to the main area popping a breath mint that he always carried on his pocket. As he rushed to meet the team, he peered out of the window when he saw the faint crimsoned rays hitting the clouds. He didn't have time to watch the scenery beside him. Lives were at stake here. He had to focus on giving people his best keep them safe. There he found himself greeted by the expressionless faces of Agents Ward and May, the juvenile and warmed up smiles of Agents Fitz-Simmons, and finally the puckered face of Agent Skye standing near the prime monitor. Peter gave a side long glance at her. She had a hard cold expression plastered over her face. Peter quickly looked away from her and tried to concentrate on what Agent Coulson had to say. Peter really felt pretty bad because at the back of his mind, he could constantly feel the burning glare of Agent Skye, or maybe it was because he over thought about it too much. Well, whatever it was she had the right to be pissed off, as Peter knew that it was his fault anyway.

Or maybe there is a war going on inside of him every day, tearing him apart, questioning him what is wrong or right, and making him drown in rivers of red wine. And mind you the feeling is not at all pleasant.

So just for the time being, he cast aside all the turbulent thoughts waging a war inside his head and concentrated on Agent Coulson on whatever he had to say.

The monitor's size could be approximately 50 inches and it had a bluish hue and a SHEILD logo right at the centre.

"Ok, people, we have a potential breach in security in a Walmart outlet. The security cams show people running around the place."

The screen was divided into miniature rectangles which played different videos simultaneously. All of them were security feeds where he saw the people running around helter-skelter.

Then among the midst, he saw one of those people, lunging on one of the woman as she hit the asphalt with flailing arms. The man simply bit of her neck where there was a spray of blood and the woman's body shook violently as the assaulter fed off her till her body was a completely limp and unmoving.

There were stifled gasps from Jemma as she turned her head away and buried it on Fitz's shoulder. Fitz placed a comforting hand on her head caressing her head. And Agent Skye simply looked down as though she knew the inevitable while the other two agents looked on the screen when Agent May spoke up.

"The destination is only fifteen minute away from our current position."

"Yes, May. Find the closest place where we can land and Ward take care of the weaponry. We use only icing guns. There are people beneath the mindless façade and we use whatever means necessary to hold them down. Skye, Fitz-Simmons, the three of you will be our eyes and ears. May and ward will enter from the emergency exit while Peter and I take point."

All of them scurried away to carry out their orders that were now given to them. There was a low hustle. All of them moved around professionally leaving him, standing stupidly all alone. He was confused. He knew that he should head back to his module and suit up but still it was still a different experience altogether. And Peter still found it difficult to wrap his head around it altogether.  
Guessing from the unflinching reactions of the senior agents, he knew that they already knew something about it but too bad agent Jemma could not hide her discomfort.

Noticing his confusion, Agent Coulson came forward.

"Peter I need you to suit up. Show us what you have got. Alright."

Saying this, he disappeared behind the corridor and left him all alone. Gone was the warmth and any remaining forbearance from his face. It was calculating, cold and hard. He could have at least given a sign of acknowledging him. He was like a completely different person.

Peter realised agents have their own motive behind all the sweet talking that he received from Agent Coulson a few hours ago, maybe it was because, he wanted his help, even if he didn't want to give him. He was a teen, just a teenager kid and agents knew how to get around him. Playing with his feelings. Not good, not at all.  
It was like being betrayed by your best friend. They will remain beside you but it won't be long before you find yourself struggling to get up from the pavement lined with thorns of despair among the beds of sorrowful roses.

Peter realised that he had to leave SHEILD as soon as possible after the recovery of Mary Jane. The more he lingered, the more pissed off he got.

He decided to make a quick check on her before he donned his suit.

Peter walked to the work space of Fitz-Simmons where he found the still body MJ. There was no one inside. The sensor on the door had a red LED blinking door near the handle and it did not open up for him. Maybe outside visitors weren't clear to visit, him being an outside visitor.

He simply stared at the limp body of Mary Jane, her wounds were now slowly patching up. The heart monitor beeped steadily. The dark blotches on her forehead were now slowly diminished, thanks to the expertise of Doctor Simmons. She was almost on the verge of complete recovery. Peter smiled could see that. Maybe he underestimated Agent Jemma Simmons' prowess. Maybe she was really that gifted. Nothing else feels other worldly. The world has already seen a world war between aliens and possibly a one-time alliance of humans, god and a monster. Sometimes he himself even forgets that he himself is a freak of nature.

Peter looked at the unmoving body. He could even hear her breath come out slow and rhythmic. How good would it be if she would just show any movement? He would be satiated for now. He never realised that such a strong steel hearted girl was actually lying down helpless. Well, truth be told, she is the actually real hero, who really had the guts to go with Peter even after knowing that it was dangerous. He knew that his appreciation would never fully be enough. He just wanted her to be safe, lead a normal life, free and away from all these never ending madness and hassle, she had been through enough.

Before being completely overcome by sorrow and be guilt trodden again, he decided it would be best if he could just suit up and just get this over with as soon as possible. Maybe the agents were really a two faced coin, insensitive to any human emotion.

Human emotion to them seemed to be a just weapon at their disposal, making use of it whenever they want their work done. He only found Fitz-Simmons to be different, at least they were humans and maybe Agent Skye as well. He had not studied her as well as Jemma and Leo Fitz but her somehow her vibes that Peter felt were not bad. Something in her made Peter see himself in her, sensitive, sometimes short tempered. But, nevertheless he really felt that he could relate with them. They were the closest to anything he had recently that he could call a friend on the BUS. He just wished with all his heart and strength that they would be someone he could place his shoulders on.

With a heavy sigh, Peter scurried on forward, into his room where he slipped on his costume and came out with his mask clutched on the other hand. He checked his web blasters. There was enough webbing left for another day at the most if he used it judicially. He needed something which could hold several web cartridges at once. But for the time being, he had to make do with that. And he could not ask the young agents to look onto the webbing material because that was something that he had fashioned it out himself. It was something that he was proud of himself.

He got his web fluid from Oscorp which stored several hundreds of metres of web at the same time. And upon research he could now produce his own web fluid. His web shooter when coupled with his web shooter could helped him produce cable on which he could swing from skyscraper to skyscraper across the Manhattan skyline or he could use it to bind a foe and by varying the pressure and adjusting the nozzles on the spinnerets on his web shooters could be changed allowing him to whip different forms of webbing. Like a magician with a set of stretchy balloons, he can trot out the standards with a flick and twist of his wrists – web lines, web bandages just name it. The cartridges are always under immense pressure. The release levers on his web shooters require a double tap to release the flow. The web dries on contact with air in approximately one hour. This helps him to take a nap now and then and an automatic wakeup call after sixty minutes.

Nice and sublime isn't it?

Anyway soon the aircraft made a stop in one of the private air strips. As soon as the aircraft came to a complete halt, Agent May Ward Coulson and Peter got inside a Lexus SUV while in Agents Fitz – Simmons and Skye followed them in a minivan.

Who knows what was inside that van?

He knew that it would be filled with all various assortment of gadgets that the government money could buy. He was itching to take a peek inside, the gadget freak that he was. Oh my god, wouldn't it be awesome?

He would try to shimmy himself into one of them and help himself if they did not want him around.

They have not witnessed his full capacity, how silent he can be, how noiseless and stealth he could be, and they have no idea?

 _I will show them what I can do. All of them expect to see something extraordinary and I will give them my best without a slightest hesitation. Everybody will know me the hard way, how far I can really go._ Thought Peter.

He looked out of the window as he saw the grassy patches of field fly by as the car ate on miles after miles.

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Soon they arrived at the scene after two long hours. The Walmart outlet was a duplex and it was in complete shambles. The trolleys and the groceries lay strewn all over. There was smoke and sudden cracking electricity. The cars were not parked like they should be. Some of them were on top of one another. Some of them were completely charred and some of them were ablaze, their wind shields shattered revealing jagged mirror pieces. The police had already arrived and the entire area was covered in yellow tape. Agent Coulson handed each of them a radio transmitter and receiver. It was a small device, an ear bud to be precise that went all the way inside his ear. It was efficient, no doubt and was of course a convenient spy gadget.

Peter put on his earpiece and turned his coms on.

"People, you know your role. Fitz Simmons and Skye do you copy?" said Agent Coulson as he pressed on the ear piece radio transmitter on his ear, bringing it to life. Soon there was a soft cackle as it went online and there was a clear voice of Fitz and Jemma speaking up altogether.

"Yes, sir Agent Colson, we can hear you loud and clear…." and right then there was a phone call on Agent Ward's cell phone and the voice was loud enough for Peter to make out whatever they were saying although it looked like "And this is Skye here and I have a question for you my S.O. where do you think we are supposed to pee?"

There was a hint of lightness in her voice, something which he had not heard of quite some time, he did not know that Agent Skye was actually jolly. And the very fact of Agent Ward being her S.O. (Supervising Officer) was a little more to take in. Seemed like the two of them were the complete irreconcilable of each other. He wondered how they got along, although he once saw her at training with Agent Ward. She was smiling, enjoying even, in the company of Agent Ward although he seemed to disapprove of it somehow. He had seen her jolly and he knew that there was something that was more or less looked a spark between those two.

He kept quiet. Hell, he came for a day and he had already made enemies with Agent Skye. Thanks to his crass stupidity. The last thing she needed was a relationship advice from him. She sure would trip.

Peter couldn't help but he let out a slight stifle of laughter.

Agent Ward spoke on, his voice emotionless and expressionless as ever. "We just arrive at the scene and you are worried about the bathroom breaks and I don't think there will be any place nearby where you gals could take a break."

"Come on, it was a really really long drive from the airport and everyone's really nervous."

"Okay, there is a container at the bottom of the blue chest."

He heard small disturbances of moving boxes and there was a small click. There was a shuffling of stuff inside as someone tried to rummage inside in hopes of finding the blue pee container. Soon the commotion subsided, and there was not even a sound for a few seconds.

"Not the water bottle" came out an exasperated reply on his earpiece.

Now this was really funny. He could somehow control his laughter managing out a small cough to cover up the laughter that was desperately trying to force its way out of Peter's throat. And the funny part was that when he pictured himself along with them, he could see himself among Fitz – Simmons as they would probably look at him probably with utter contempt.

"Did you learn a thing that a boy parts and girl parts are different, and basically the part where our parts aren't penises." came a curt reply.

"Agent Coulson, Peter, May and myself are getting ready to storm the place, so if there is nothing else pressing.."

"Well, listen Fitz wants to know, if you packed any snacks ... yeah because I am feeling a bet peckish… "That was when Agent Coulson was handed the receiver from Agent Ward.

"Guys put the coms online cause we need you on the field and quit whining around. I would all like you to be focused on this one."

"Oh right away sir, I didn't know you were … Right them , we uhh … ok"

Agent Coulson cut the line. He looked at Peter who was desperately trying to controlling his laughter.

Peter probably wondered why the smug look was plastered on his face. Nevertheless he decided to ignore it.

 _Oh right, they probably don't know that I have acute hearing._

"Okay, people, this is it, you know your position and look out for yourselves."

Peter heard all of this and put on his mask before the door of the SUV opened up and the four of them came out. Agent Coulson and Spidey led the way and entered the supermarket outlet. Agent Coulson went inside armed and he asked Peter to follow him inside.

 _Is he thinking of baiting himself? Does he know what he is actually up against?_

Peter crawled up on the wall as quickly as a lizard and precisely as a spider, without making a single noise. From there, he could get a bird's eye view of the entire place.

The place was in entire shambles, it smelled of rusty and stale due to excessive blood and gore, stuff toppled over as though an 8.0 earthquake has hit the store. Some of the trolleys lay on the floor, rows of supplies lay strewn all of the floor. Trolleys tumbled over bodies that were no longer moving, some of them were even missing a wheel or two and there was a lot of blood here and there. Peter rushed to a body and checked for his pulse. The man was barely hanging on. Agent Coulson squatted beside him analysing the wound. The wound was pretty gross. The man's right arm was bent at impossible angles. Peter got away from the man. It was too depressing. Made his blood run cold.

Skid marks, crates where the shelves had once been now there were just large stumps of concrete, brick and cement. Tube lights hung from the ceiling as though they were hanging by a thread and make a periodic revolutions like that of a pendulum. The escalator was blocked. There was no power on the elevator. After a minute of scouting, the two of them met up with Agents ward and May. There was nothing else on the first floor except bodies. They had to pave a path to the second floor.

Agent Coulson called in the police and emergency doctors to wrap up the scene and find out any remaining survivors.

Within a minute, the police and emergency doctors flooded the scene, scuttled around and carry away the wounded or tended as they saw fit. Some of them even were missing entire chunks of limbs.

Spidey realised the need of a group. It looked efficient and this way his work would be decreased. It was almost like his work cut up to sixty percent. As the three of them discussed how to clear a path to the next floor, Peter quickly swing to the debris and saw exactly what actually was blocking the stairway. There was a large beam, a square cross section which was jammed in between the ascending and the descending stairway. It had a cross sectional length of one meter. The only way through it was to either break that huge steel shaft or pull it apart. Pulling it is of course out of the question. It would be too difficult.

Could he break it? Maybe …

Spidey zip lined himself to the roof and sat there waiting. He could dash towards the debris under which the shelve lay and the force might just be enough to beak it. Or else he could use his trusty web. His web had the tensile strength large enough to hold a conventional passenger air plane. But due to his limited webbing, he had to be economic right now. And the other option was to use mechanical force to break it apart. Well, it was worth a try.

It was time he used a few concept of physics here. Simple application of physics. He made a rough approximate of the distance which was around eight to nine metres at the maximum. And judging by the quality of the steel, it was just any commercial steel which could have an approximate of 8.1x10^5 as young's modulus and an ultimate tensile stress 45 – 50 Newton per meters squared, for which he would need to apply a force of approximately 80,000N. Could he do it?

Maybe or maybe not? He had to see for himself. There might be people trapped in the upper floor as well. They might be alive. The number of survivors on the ground floor were almost negligible. All he could see was excess blood, mucus and drool here and there. It did not look to be very promising. The survival rate was very low but he had to try, at the least he would give his very best.

Then there was shrill cry. A cry that tore through the ambient quiet atmosphere of the building other than the occasional buzzing of live wires that lay hanging nearby. It was blood curdling, making shivers run down through his spine as if he fell into a bucket of ice cold water.

Spidey found it difficult to snap out of it. Hearing the scream, the agents came rushing forward and stopped when they saw the stairway completely blocked. And from his com, came a quivering voice.

"Guys, what was that?" Agent Simmons spoke up.

"What is it Jemma?" said Fitz in a muffled voice. Obviously he was eating something as his mouth was full.

"Oh Fitz, will please concentrate what is happening here" said Jemma.

"Of course that was a cry for help." shot out Agent Skye.

Spidey spoke up on his com.

"Guys tell me what if I try to break the rubble on the stairway." Peter spoke up slowly and carefully.

"What … Who was that?" Fitz spoke out completely startled.

"Ooff … Fitz its Peter of course. How could you forget about him?"

"Oh, right. Yeah ... What? You want to break the rubble? How can you ever do that?"

"Web head where are you? Why can't we see you?"

This was Agent Coulson. His husky voice was a complete give away.

"I am right above you guys"

Right then the three agents' head shot right up and Spidey waved at them to reveal his location to them.

"Oh you are right there. Good. Tell me what can you do right now for us?"

Peter could just see his lips move.

"Well I can maybe move the rubble."

"What? You can do that? But I order you to stand down. This is suicide."

"Well, there is no time. You guys heard the scream right? There was someone right there."

"I know put it is not possible to clear such a huge rubble. It would take at least an hour."

"Then you should be glad I can give you aid." said spidey curtly.

Spidey spoke on.

"Fitz, I saw the rubble and at its core lie a beam made of stainless steel. Normal consumer grade I presume. So if I apply an approximate of 80 KN of force, it should give away. What do you say?"

There was silence on the com. Nothing was heard for a whole five second and neither of them tried to speak up.

"Hello, this is urgent isn't it? Might as well hurry up."

"I keep forgetting that you are a genius yourself. Sorry about that anyway and I think you are theoretically correct, but won't you get hurt?"

"That is quite a lot of force you have to give and your legs would possible be fractured right on impact." came a concerned voice from Simmons.

"We are out of options aren't we? And there is someone who might possibly on the brink of losing his or her life and its too much of a greater risk"

"Spidey, he is right. Its not worth it. You are our currently our asset and your safety is our concern right now." said Fitz with a hint of contemn.

"Well, you want to save people don't you? I have joined you guys because you said you could look after MJ. That is the only reason I am right here working with you people. When there is a cry for help I will always be there for all people. I don't care if I eventually loose myself in the process."

 _Ok, that was a bit harsh, Parker. You know that that you can clear the rubble._

Theatrics and deception was all he was using right now. He had to prove that he was really selfless and above all he didn't want Agent Skye to think ill of him. Peter knew that he has a good heart. If only he could change all the mind set of these agents about caring for their own people as a group instead of laying down their lives, then it could be something good.

"Clear out gentlemen. Let me check my own resilience. How far I can really push myself"

"What? You are not even sure of yourself? And you are possible risking your life. Why?"

"Agent Coulson, I want all of you to consider yourselves as a family first, look after yourself and then see for others. If you have a fallen comrade, rush for her or his aid first. See by that way, you could hold and see for each care and look out for each other. You can never ever think how satisfying this can be. It is worth the try."

Hearing all this talk, all of them were quite taken aback. Whatever he had said was all true, nothing was exaggerated. All of it was a cent percent correct. There was truth in every syllable and nothing was undeniable. They knew he was correct.

He waited for his mind to become sombre once again and focus on the task at hand. He had launch himself at the pile of at a minimum of at least 15metres per second squared to make a significant amount of impact.

 _Okay then, here goes nothing._ Thought Peter as he let go of the wall that he was attached to. Slowly he fell downward, wind making a minute howl beside his ear. Peter immediate shot out two web lines from his web shooters. And he propelled himself forward with all the strength, he could muster up. Spidey tore through the air like a javelin, his feet faced directly towards the rumble, eagerly waiting for the impact to happen any second now. He was a like a streamlined frisbee moving through several layers of air.

And then it hit him.

Spidey went numb for some time and his knees bent to absorb the force of the impact and impart a greater one on the shaft. There was a deafening crunching sound beneath his feet as he tried to stabilize himself. It did not make such a large impact on him as he had expected it to. There was a minor burn that spread throughout his calf and groin muscles.

The agents beside him were star struck. They stood there silently watching him. The immensity of the raw power that he displayed right there before their eyes and without a single injury, let alone slight faze. Agent Coulson and run forward to his aid thinking that he might need one. Spidey quietly got up on his feet and ran and jumped up the wall again back to the position where he launched himself down to the ground as lithe and nimble as ever, as though it was nothing for him.

"What happened? How many bone do you think you shattered right there pulling that stupid stunt there Peter. This is not at all expected of you. Are you alright?" came a flurry of speech as Simmons shot out into the com that was attached to his ear.

"I think I am fine. Another impact like this, I am sure the beam would give away." Said Peter would confidence as he was sure that this time it would truly give away.

"Oh My God. You mean to say that you are actually fine? How is that possible? Guess we have been underestimating you big time. That mean you have his the rubble at least with a minimum acceleration of 20 m/s^2 to do the trick. Good Lord, this is truly amazing. Your body can with stand such huge amounts of force. Jemma would surely enjoy studying you. This is really is game changing and by the way you used that sticky jizz that erupts from your wrist right to get an improved acceleration, isn't it?"

"Come on now, It isn't jizz?" said Peter completely disgusted the way Fitz related it to.

"Yeah Fitz that is not proper of you. And of course not I would never do that to him but … if he consents to a full body check-up I would more than happy to do it. " said Simmons.

"Yew, Fitz that is really gross. You know that Agent Coulson is actually listening to you right now whatever you are saying right now?" said Agent Skye disgusted.

"Oh um, sorry sir. I promise you this won't happen again. This was very unprofessional of me."

Agent Coulson made some unintelligible grunting noise that showed his disapproval. And then the three agents looked back at him.

Peter looked at them and he knew that he was this completely different creature and things he could still do would still surprise people.

He gave a nod to Peter realising that if he actually hit the beam again, the entire thing may clear and they would get a clear way to the first floor.

He positioned himself exactly above as he had done before and aimed at the rumble again and pushed his leg on the ceiling and flew right toward the rumble where he shot out another thread from his wrist and again pulled himself forward which a much greater force that the previous attempt. He shot through the air and this time when his feet hit the heap of junk,

"Hunnh…" cried Peter as this time his entire feet shook and for a moment he thought his balls might actually fall of the sac. It was very very unpleasant.

This time he crawled on the remained debris that crumbled under his feet to a clear area where Agent Coulson, Ward and May came rushing forward. They helped him stand his feet slowly and carefully.

"That was life threatening I hope you realise that." Agent Coulson was really pissed off this time.

"You realise that your aunt is waiting for you and we possibly don't want anything to happen to you now, once we have gotten ourselves such a solid lead."

"Don't worry, I am fine. I have plenty of juice left inside of me."

"What? No way, you are out of this mission." said Coulson with an ultimatum.

"As though that would really stop me, come one.". Peter looked away from him, slapping his thighs.

"And anyway, I am not leaving these bitches. I have a score to settle here."

"That is why we don't want you here, you are going to compromise all of it. You are too attached"

"You want my help and I know it even though you are not willing to admit it and I will be staying here and I will be going on solo whether you like it or not. And thank you for your stupid coms, I don't need one anyway."

Spiderman could hear the Fitz and Simmons shouting their heads of, not to leave the team. Their shouts were so loud that spidey noticed the strained faces of Agents Ward and May nearby him.

Spidey got up and distanced himself from the three agents, ready to go on without them.

 _Well he successfully managed to piss me off again. This was the least that I had been expecting of me. They will never understand. Maybe they will, but now is not the time. I should go off by myself and scout the floor above._

"Sir, we must not fight at least among ourselves and I think the spider is right this time. He won't rest until he had apprehended everybody, the ones who almost killed his friend during the last encounter. I think you should let him work and stay with us at least. He has faced them before and he probably knows how to handle them off."

Web head took another look behind as he jogged up to the ruptured beam. Agent Coulson had a forlorn smug look on his face, the look that you give when you are truly confused. Well that was what Spidey thought off as he made a superhuman leap over the rumble which was now almost cleared. The beam lay ruptured right at the centre revealing the jagged sharp edge at the centre.

Spidey looked ahead as his mind processed thought of what exactly he would be facing up there above him. He just wished he could hear the scream once more. At the very least, he could at least confirm her being alive. That was all that mattered to him right now.

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	9. Chapter 9

Author's note – Hi people. This chapter has been crucial for me. I hope you like it. Suggestions are always welcome and reviews are like sipping lemonade on a hot sweaty summer. They inspire me to write more. SO please keep them coming and if I get anything wrong, please don't hesitate to leave behind a PM or a review. Enjoy J.

And as usual I don't own Spider-man or Agents Of SHIELD.

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Peter made his way to the top floor. This floor's condition was worse than what he had imagined. The entire place was in torn apart, as though a giant has picked up the entire floor and then shook it with everything it had.

Before he had time to analyse his surroundings, his spider sense blared, warning him of an incoming jab. Thanks to his spider sense, dodging it was a piece of cake. He back flipped twice before he landed right on his feet. Spidey crouched on the ground and looked his assaulter.

As he had already expected, there he was, as disgusting as ever. Just as he got ready to take him down, there was a slight rustle among the debris. Spidey turned around to the sound of the rustle and soon there were almost ten of them came up, tripping and falling over each other as if they were high on drugs.

An ambush. A trap.

One look at them and Spidey knew that they were lost.

Some of them had a few chunks of flesh missing. The calf muscles were gone, one even had a piece of wood sticking out from its shoulder. They were moaning, moaning to exhibit their insatiable hunger, a typical zombie.

A zombie apocalypse.

The entire scene reminded him of the zombie movie "28 days later". Those mindless monsters trying to get to you like they were lost. There was no distinction between their iris and cornea. Their eyes were completely milky, the one and the same like mindless zombies murmuring unintelligible words. The only difference he found between them and the zombies were that at least they were not contagious.

So far there has been no outbreak among people, all of them running around, tearing and peeling their skin apart, no such incident had been reported so far and he wished with all his heart for it to stay that way.

His train of thoughts were broken by his spider sense again blaring. This time, he squatted down and he could feel the powerful gust of air move past his head as something swept above his head. Spidey looked around frantically to source the attacker. And this time what he saw, made him sick. His assaulter could be easily be a six feet and a five inch and he held on to a club like a thingy rested on his shoulder. He had a broken nose. Blood trickled from his temple and had paved a thin river along the rotten contours of his face to his already torn shirt, that somehow covered his meek figure. He had one eye missing and the numerous scratches on his face made him unrecognisable. Peter imagined how he actually once looked like. Veins bulged along his long lanky arms that faintly reminded him of tennis players' awesome bulging wrists and biceps. The man gave him a crooked smile as he revealed a set of unclean teeth. The front incisors were missing which made him look somewhat comical.

Judging from his demeanour, he sure looked like the leader of the group.

"Let's see what you are made of made of, you oversized hare – brained nut sack?" and spidey said mimicking the zombies that he had already faced before. Twisting his hand at awkward angles as far he could twist it and forcibly tangling his legs.

 _Oh my, I could join the drama club, I would surely cook up something great up on the stage_. Thought spidey as he tittered a laughter.

Hearing his laughter, he looked at the Peter and he slowly brought his club down slowly which had sometime stuck in between the jagged ends.

 _Is that a finger?_

A bloody finger was stuck in between the end jagged end of the club.

Disgusting. Spidey almost welched at the sight.

The man spoke in a broken rasped British English that was obnoxious.

"We know where you live, and that blonde girl that you regularly hang out with, yeah."

When he heard of the man threatening Gwen, this was it. He snapped out of the comical Parker laugh that he gave. He became serious.

The only thing that really turned him on real bad was dirty speaking and holding people accountable for something even when they are not involved at all. This was besmirching, a disgrace which he hated with a lot. But it got him concerned.

What if he is saying the truth? Then Gwen could be in major trouble. He had to go to her, find her and keep her safe, away from harm.

Seeing Peter not moving anymore the zombie spoke up.

"What is it, you red – blue punching bag? Don't you just stand there? Got you thinking didn't I? I am gonna feast on your flesh till I lick every bone from your body free of your worthless blood."

"Savour the moment, it won't be long till you have any limb left on your socket and good to know that at least you speak." said spidey meaning every word of it

"I have earned the right to obey my master and he has bestowed upon me powers that you could never fathom."

Peter heard him mention about the master stuff and then he remembered what the Kung-Fu-glowy-fist guy, what he had once told him about. The Steel Serpent.

Even the mystical fiery fist was concerned about him.

Their master was the main culprit here now, all he had to do was track him down and see where he would lead him to.

"That is what you all do, like a sheep herd. Take out the main leader and the rest will be alone without a slightest clue." said Peter thinking to get on his nerves.

"Oh really? You think I will let that happen, my people will enjoy letting themselves smeared in your bug blood."

"Spiders are not bugs, you oaf. They are arachnids."

"Well, that won't matter anymore. They are all the same to me, once you are completely disassembled, there won't be any difference. But I wonder if it is the same with pretty ladies, their smooth skin, lady parts and all that, you know what I am saying? But I seriously doubt about the old hag with whom you reside with"

There comes certain situations in life when things get so messed up that the logical part of your mind completely switches off. It could be consider like a circuit board and during these situations, the wiring that represent the composed and collected suddenly tear off or get short circuited, things just go haywire. Just one wire, it takes to tear everything off, like an emotion switch that sees just red and that was exactly what Peter saw.

Peter leaped off the ground and lunged at him, his fingers were all curled up, as though he would tear him apart with his bare hands. He shot a web line at the club which was on his hands and pulled it.

It seemed like the man expected him to do that and he countered him by yanking him back with a much greater force. This destroyed his momentum on air and he fell on the shiny tiled floor that was now covered with grit and dirt.

He was disoriented from the fall, but he immediately scrambled up to his feet.

 _Shit! He is fast._

And this time he charged at him with the mace moving it around his head and shouting. His voice was a like grinding two rocks together so rough was his voice.

Peter realised that his strength probably matched that of his own and he had to think this through. Brute force won't do him any good.

He had to find a weak spot, a blind spot that could render him vulnerable. He just had to figure what it was.

He was already charging at him when he noticed something. Something which was so minute that he could have missed it if he did not have a keen eyesight.

There was something peeking underneath his torso, it had an amber hue.

This distracted Peter long enough in spite of the continuous blare warning in his head, he didn't get enough time to dodge it. He wanted to try out something. He just hoped that it would work out.

He was too focussed on the amber hue on his chest and his plan, too distracted to take any notice of the incoming charge.

BLAM.

The club landed square on his head and soon impact made him soar across the ground the floor till he hit an already overturned shelve. There was no cushion on his impact. His back bone made contact with a tumbled over, broken shelve.

"Unhh". Spidey could literally see lights dancing in front of his eyes. His vision hazy.

Somehow he got up to his feet and he looked at the man now and everything was so clear to him.

Just before the club struck him spidey had managed to hold his shirt before he took off flying which got ripped. The amber glow was because of the centipede that as attached throughout his chest like tattoos with intricate design.

And just above that Spidey saw a faint red light glow on the handler's breast bone. A spider tracker that he placed on him. At the very least, he could track him later if he ever got away.

Spidey had seen it before, in the classified file that Agent Coulson showed him. It was this device that allowed him to keep his logical reason completely intact. He could speak in complete sentences maybe because of the centipede program and he looked sane from most of them. And the rest of people that had surrounded him were moaning in a never ending tone that was a total discomfort to his ears and it was taking a serious toll on his concentration.

"You have the centipede on you and I figure that is giving you control over them." spidey said in a strained voice as he stood back up on his feet as he pointed at the herd of people behind him.

"Beautiful isn't it? What money can buy for you? And of course become a part of something that would be a change the revolution." said the man almost admiring that the tattoos on his chest as though they looked cool on him.

"Revolution? You are kidding me. We already had the alien onslaught tearing up New York and now yet again another evolution .You are not thinking straight. The extrimis has already corrupted your logical thinking. Look at the destruction around you? Ask your heart, mister. Ask yourself, do you really want this?" asked spidey trying his best to reason out with him, trying to appeal to his humanitarian self.

The man been quiet for some time searching for the answer his mind would come up with.

He looked at Peter once again and laughed like a maniac.

Peter swore to twist his vocal cord if he could ever lay hands on them.

"That is the problem right there you know. I like being bad."

Saying so the man the man charged at him with ferocious acceleration. He looked at Peter, his face had an evil sneer that spread through the length of his cheeks.

"You want to play rough, huh? Bring it on!" bellowed Peter at the top of his lungs. He was ready for him. He dashed forward again and he decided to go for his legs this time.

Of all numerous fights that Spidey had so far, he had learnt one thing - never loose your footing. And he hoped to make full use of it.

The problem was that the man was lanky and so probably did not have to carry much weight on him, but still it was worth a try.

Just as he was about to hit him, he slid on the floor. Other than the grit on the floor, the floor was pretty smooth and Spidey slided with ease and whipped him right on his feet.

True to his word, he fell down and a perfect face plant. His club slid across the floor somewhere and disappeared beneath a pile of rubble.

Spidey waited for him to get up on his feet. His face was a complete mess.

Mind you, his face was already messed up abut now it just seemed to him that there could not have a face as fucked up as his. There no longer any nose attacked to his face and the place where his nose had once been, now there was a deep bloody hollow, the remnants of his nose lay on the floor. His face reminded him of Voldemort. The only thing left was to wrap him around in a black robes and shave off his head.

A fucking terrible specimen of Voldemort but he might eventually get a chance to star in one of Harry Potter films.

And the man looked severely pissed off now. He brought his shivering hands on the gaping hole on his face as more blood spilled on hands, like a fountain.

He looked back at Spidey with those harrowing lifeless dark eyes that were a burning and smouldering like coal.

"Do you know that this has made me realise how puny humans actually are, but they could never truly realise their potential. They could be revolutionised like me and I don't blame my master for a game changing vision like this and the best part is seeing yourself play apart that would eventually shape it to a better tomorrow. Emotions are their weakness, they would never understand what it feels like to be unbound, free from all shackles that hold you down. And the most interesting part is that I can't feel pain?" said the handler pumping his fists up in the air as though the broken nose had no effect on him.

"All of that is nothing but loads of crap. And for emotions, it is us humans who actually differentiate from people like you. I should say people have a free will and I don't think you have one. Isn't yours tied up with The Steel Serpent?"

"You dare mock me. I could persuade you to try and follow me but I don't think that this would be of any worth to you. So it will be better if I let my minions carve up your face." saying this he let a blood curdling scream that tore Spidey's ear drum, an ear splitting noise.

And then the deafening uproar was something that spidey could never forget.

All the men who were once behind him, rushed at him forward full on charge.

 _Heck, this is serious. I have got to try something new. I don't want to end up being buried in this shit hole. I have a life left ahead of me. I have to go on._

Saying so Peter launched himself forward with ferocity that he never expected to. He was on overdrive. He punched his way and rolled in right through them.

The first one neared him and he had no change. A straight hard jab right to the lower jaw. The man went down as though he was hit by a baseball bat. He fell down head first with his legs up in the air. And then there were three. Spidey didn't give them a moment to spare. He webbed one of them right to the floor as he struggled to get up on his feet but the web held him down. And as for the other two, he leaped on top one the head of the assaulter and pinned right to the floor and bashed his head right to the floor with his knee caps. As the other approached him, he aimed for his face. He wanted to perform an axe kick on him as he had seen in a Bruce Lee movie. Spidey pulled his right leg in the air as he had seen in the movie as waited for the infected to come in range. Once he was in range, he brought down his kick leg as hard he could. Peter could hardly feel a thing as his heels made impact with its head. The infected fell down on his knees, his eyes were rolled over, remained there for a second before finally falling eagle spread on the ground.

K.O.

And by that time another one had already leaped on top of him threatening to bite off his shoulder. Spidey tried his best to wriggle him off him and it was in vain. His grip was too strong.

"You wanna play dirty, huh? Then let's play dirty." said Peter as he leaped of the ground and fell down his back to the floor with a sickening crunch. Spidey loosened his grip around the assaulter and looked at the fallen unmoving body. His mouth was trying to make up something, unintelligible words. Before he could figure what it was, seven assaulters leaped on top of him and held him, pinned him to the ground. Before he could find his grip on the floor and push himself from the vulnerable position that he was in, more bodies kept piling on him.

Spidey could count the number of thuds that kept falling on him one after the other in a random fashion. And as far he had counted there were fifteen so far. He could feel the crushing weight that beginning to pile up on his back bone. They were strong and spidey had a hard trying to loosen their grip from his. This was serious. He had to find a loop hole before he gets crushed on by their weight. He could already feel the growing weight that had already began to creep up his spine like a needle poking his skin and it was pretty painful. He could no longer think logically.

So far, there were already twenty two effected assaulters on top of him and then he could feel then weight could growing simultaneously heavy but he could no longer register the exact number of people above him. He was literally getting squashed beneath their weight and this was proving to be very annoying.

He was surprised that he could hold so many people on top of him. He never expected it learn this fact to turn out in this way. This was the type of attack that he never expected them to resort to. All of them together pilling on above him crushing above him, smothering him. And the most disgusting part was that all of them smelled like puke and rotten eggs.

The stench was more overwhelming to him than the pain on his back. Spidey somehow tried to move forward and through the pile of people when he saw the handler staring at him wide eyed, nose less and grinning at the chivalry that he had created.

But soon that grin in his face slowly faded away and it was replaced by the most horrible looking face that he had ever seen.

 _Oh god. Help me I am surely have nightmares. Provided if I get out here alive._

Peter knew that he had no way out.

He struggled to move forward with the whole pile of weight on his back.

And for some reason, the weight behind his back got reduced substantially as though one by one each one of them fell of his back. He didn't have any idea what drove them off his back or the smug dirty look on the handler's face.

At a distance he could hear shots in in the air.

Gun shots.

 _Oh the cavalry's here. And on time._ Thought Peter. He was really greatful for the timely arrival of the SHEILD's team.

The subsiding pain on his back was like branding his back with hot iron it was so unpleasant. And there were just three of them pinning him down on the floor. Peter somehow manage to scramble up on his feet with the three people on his back. And the most irritating part was that there were still three of them clinging onto him. Spidey did his best to shake them off but the most he shook himself, they clung onto him by digging their nails deeper into his neck, back and shoulder. This was really irritating. If he could just manage to hold one of them away from him, the two would be a piece of cake.

And then there was two shots and the load on his back grew considerably lighter.

There was a large plop and a dull thud as the weight in his back grew lighter than ever. The sudden weight reduction was like heaven, caressing his back with soft hands, which he had never ever felt before.

There was just one of them on his back. He moved his hand on his back and pulled his assaulter from his back. It was a female. Bits and pieces of skin were already peeling off from her. One look at her expressionless face and even Peter could figure out that she was scared and made hissing sounds as she desperately tried to scratch his face. Another shot rang out through the air and hit the aldy straight on the head. The body immediately slackened off and it was like it had no life on it.

Peter placed the body softly to the ground.

His back was killing him.

 _SHIELD was killing people. They make their own bloody rules and they are the ones who disobey them the first place. Awesome. Wait this isn't right. Where is the blood on her head?_

When Spidey examined it close enough, he didn't find any blood oozing out of her forehead. There was a purplish webbed mark in her head. And the throbbing of her temple were unmistakable. And Spidey looked at the Agents in action but none of them did have any muzzle flash. It was something different like a spitting sound, only that it was more refined and light.

 _Okay, they are using icing guns. Nice._

He looked at the agents all of them in action. One look at them and there was absolutely doubt how practiced there were in their job, their efficiency was unprecedented.

They were an organised lot, shooting at them and throwing in kicks and punches with calculated adeptness. It was like an art from them. It was almost mesmerising.

There was a loud crash. More of the infected people poured into the room and there was chaos everywhere. The handler was nowhere to be seen at room got flooded with dozens of them.

Agents May and Ward were barely holding on. Agent Coulson had a nasty bruise on his face and he was bleeding profusely and this made him an easy target. He was on the ground. Somehow managing to push the last apprehender before more poured in and pinned him to the ground.

Agent Coulson was in danger.

He looked at the apprehender. They seemed to be more vicious than the previous batch, fresher, stronger and there was absolutely no way, they could stop them on their own. He had to lend a helping hand no matter how much he was pissed off at them right now.

Spidey took off and ran the vertical wall with all strength that he had. And pushed himself back into the air making full use of his aerodynamic body. He shot web lines on all of them all pulled them all away from him, high into the air. Their mouths revealed faces of pure terror and bafflement and they started to scratch each other as trying to grab each other and pushing the each of them down not wanting to take in the impact of the complete fall. The three of them fell down at a greater speed, gravity doing all most of the work. The three of them fell down in a huge mound.

 _Nice. Thais just what I needed._

The three of them were together this time and he took no time to wrap them up in his web entangling them. And they tried their best to free themselves of the nightmare in which they were stuck in. Howling with rage and crass stupidity.

Spidey landed on the floor and there almost fifteen of them this time who had cooped the agents in a central cage. From the corner of his eyes he saw the handler escaping through a vent, mumbling something inaudible and spidey did not think of taking care off. He just wanted his head. He was about to pursue him when there was large thud. He looked behind him to find Agent Ward flying through the air.

He had to look for the agents. They were loosing and this was not turning out to be favourable.

 _I have the spidey tracer on him. I can track once I am done with here._

Thought spidey turned on his back and went to aid Agent Ward.

He had crashed on a pillar and he was knocked unconscious by the impact.

Agent May was loosing energy. She could not hold for long. And Agent Coulson had a nasty bruise on his eye which had turned all blue black by now. He was in a pretty bad shape and still there were at least ten of them. They were seriously handicapped. Spidey swung forward and leaped on top of one of the infected. He placed his legs on his shoulders and leaped off into the air, shot another line of web that entangled him completely and swung him around like a bowling ball, the infected around him were like bowling pins. He swung him around where ever there were any infected nearby and since they were literally dumb and all of them literally followed him as though there was something interesting thing going on. And with the handler missing, there foundation was in complete chaos. They were just mindless soldiers without a guiding hand and Spidey took full advantage of that.

There were only groaning pained voices filled the first floor like a ghastly roll of infantile immortality that was not purged of the hostility that lay around.

He grabbed the unconscious Agent Ward and picked him up and slumped his body across his shoulder. His back pain proved to be a real pain in the ass but he had to overcome his pain.

He limped a few steps and headed to where Agent Coulson was.

His face looked just like Rocky Balboa's face and there was a swelling in his left arm.

 _Probably a fracture_.

A swelling that big could only be a fracture or a bone displacement.

Agent may came running to his aid and she looked grim, her mouth was vile. She looked dire and tired.

Still her demeanour was the same that he had previously seen. Cold, calculating and assessing Phil Coulson's damage level. A true leader.

"Spiderman, could you try to give me a helping hand to pick him up if you can?"

"Yeah sure, why not. I had almost fifty of them leaping on my back and Lord be praised, I have not been crushed to pulp so far." He managed a strained chuckle.

A weak joke. Agent May didn't even look at him. She was busy trying to figure out a way to move his leader's body with minimal damage.

Peter stood up. His back was not providing much of a problem so far, almost adapting itself to the extra weight on his shoulder. Like an organism, changing itself too the harsh environment. A mutant that he was, a freak of nature.

Peter put a helping hand around Coulson's right and heaved him on to Agent May's shoulder. Peter helped her out of the first floor as she called for backup to wrap up the scene. Soon the cavalry and the medical staff came flooding in making their way to the ground floor.

The fight had been more strenuous than he imagined it to be. He could almost feel his legs almost buckling underneath the weight of the agents. But somehow he pushed himself on.

Fitz – Simmons and agent Skye came rushing to aid him. He carefully managed to shift Agent Ward's weight onto the stretcher and almost dropped Agent Coulson.

The last thing he remembered was handing him to Fitz as he carried him to safety before he saw himself drowning in a swirling pool of darkness, engulfing him completely soothing his skin, muscles senses.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An overpriced restaurant around The Times Square. And the centre table, Peter was sitting with Gwen. Peter in his black tux and Gwen in a dashingly beautiful gown that almost elevated her existence in the room, illuminating her beauty and complimenting her swag. Like she was the only one present in the restaurant. She was the limelight of the entire show. The radiant smile that erased away all darkness from his heart, it had. Peter beamed at her. The flutter in his heart was made him light headed like he was he was being astral projected. As he neared her, he could see her pink red lips. He was so near her and all he needed was a push himself forward to take in the kiss. Just a few centimetres away from a beautiful lip lock. Peter was almost shaking with excitement. He was so near to her that he could make out the faint pink blush on her pale cheeks. Her golden bangs fell down conveniently on her forehead making her look like a real life Barbie doll. A living one and of course, her blue eyes would be the one that no man had ever seen. That could only be seen in the depth of Blue Ocean that had the stars in shinning in the entire the galaxy, while her pupils dilated in passion that she was about to experience.

And then his lips touched her. It was soft smooth, creamy, vanilla and something in her was so fragile, that not given care, she would fall apart, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle held together.

And then suddenly, all of it was replaced by hungry lips, lips caressing his mouth, exploring the depths of his mouth, and the hunger to want him, almost forcing herself on him. It was rough, strange gritty, sexy and erotic, skyrocketing the endorphin levels in his blood. He kissed her back and then there was a lot of pushing and pulling each other until she pushed him to her bed.

He was shocked to see her. It was MJ.

"Face it tiger, you have just hit the jackpot."

Her red hair fell around her shoulder like an untamed fire that could go up in flames any moment now and her green eyes were like emeralds shining and piercing its way through the dark night.

Her mouth carved up into a sinister smile as her face moulded and disfigured in to a monster. Evil yellow eyes replaced MJ's Green eyes and the horns on its head was unmistakable. Peter looked at himself and found no mask on his face. The costume was almost shredded apart. The only piece of tunic was stuck on his chest due to the excessive blood clot on his muscular chest.

It had the most terrifying voice that was beyond description.

"Peter Parker. I knew that it would be you right from the beginning. You are destined to die in my hands you disgraceful bug."

So saying, it plunged its claws deep in him. His manic like laughter reverberating through his body.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haaaah" cried out Peter in extreme pain. His eyes fluttered open to a very bright light in front of his eyes. His body was burning, as though it was set on fire. Peter felt like running his hearts out and immerge himself into the coolness of the sea and become one with it. Tears blurred his vision as he tried to sit up. The pain in his chest was unbearable. There were people in front of him. The low hum of the BUS's turbine engine greeted him.

He looked at them dazed and confused. Agent Simmons and Agent Fitz were standing near him. He was in his module.

Agent Fitz spoke up, the relief in his voice was undeniable.

"Oh Lord. Peter we almost lost you for a moment there."

"Peter, thank God you are alright. Oh and that burning on your chest is because I had to use an adrenaline shot on you. Not to worry anyhow. It would subside in a few minutes" Agent Simmons was already beside him as she spoke to him and held a high powered torch light to his eyes, checking his eyes.

"What? Adrenaline? I was dead?" asked Peter, he was drenched in his sweat.

"How long was I out?" asked Peter wiping his eye brows.

"Just a few minutes and I think it was probably because of the strenuous things that you did back up there." said Jemma breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah and about that, it was not normal at all" Fitz added.

"I would like to run some tests on you after you are rested sufficiently and I would recommend you rest, because whatever you did back up there was …"

Agent Simmons was racking her head hard, trying her best to find the appropriate word.

"Jemma, you know that he need rest right." countered Fitz.

"Yeah, oh I am so sorry Peter, just occupational curiosity and hazard I would assume."

"Wait, how's Agents Ward, May and Agent Coulson? How are they?" said Peter.

He was scared. Scared that something bad might have happened to them. He was responsible for them. He was ready to take the blame for them.

"Oh, they are fine. May is fine. Agent Ward is fine other than a nasty bruise up on his shoulder and Agent Coulson has a fractured left arm and other than a few bruises on his face that he is absolutely fine. Really you mustn't worry about them."

"And there is something I have to tell you about Mary Jane."

"What is it?" asked Peter thinking it to be the worst.

"I think she is fine for now but there are minor pulse fluctuations in her heart monitor now and then, but the main problem is that we don't particularly have her blood type with us. Whatever's left we used all the remainder we had on her. And none of us has the same blood type as yours but I know the repercussions that might take place if we use your blood as a substitute."

Peter knew what she meant. His DNA was already genetically altered and if he could give her blood, who knows it might be compatible or may be her body might reject it completely or she could turn out to be like him. He did not know how much of it was true but the idea wasn't very enticing to him. There just couldn't be another one with spider like abilities him running in the streets of New York. It was dangerous. It was not safe for anyone or she could just be gone.

She was her friend. He could not think of anything more. He had to see her.

"I need to see her." said Peter adamant. His body was in pain. He was just burning up.

Everything else was insignificant. Nothing else mattered to him other than his friends. His friends are what that shaped him, moulded him into the person that he has become.

His mind was blank like a room without any light, groping around in the darkness trying desperately to find a way out of the macabre. He was like a free bird flying around in darkness.

He struggled his way to the lab below where MJ's body lay as still just as he had seen during the previous visits. Her face had grown pale. She had lost weight. Her collar bones poking out, like she was malnutritioned. He had to help her, hands down.

"Take my blood, if it helps her in any way."

There was not going to be a question regarding this. She needed his blood. He will give it to her.

"Peter, don't you think we need to discuss about this?" Simmons countered him.

"There is nothing to discuss about this. If she needs my blood, give it to her."

"But you need to be sure, if it would harm her or help her or worse turn her."

Peter knew what was at stake here. She was right. He she might even loose her life if the transfusion fails.

"What is Agent Coulson saying about this?"

"He is does not support the idea of course. Just think of it. If she does survive this, the she will like a loose cannon, no one to keep a check on her."

"I could handle that." said Peter after thinking about it for a considerable amount of time.

"What do you mean by that? You seriously can't be saying that you would teach her to help in your nightly liaisons."

"No of course not, but … "

A constant beep tore through the quiet atmosphere and then the beeping quickened down. The number of troughs on the heart rate monitor increased. Peter turned his head.

Agent Simmons turned her head to witness this.

"Oh no. This should not have happened."

Both of them rushed to her side.

"Oh no her heart is spiking. We have to make a transfusion right now, if we have any hope of saving her. Her heart is failing"

"High pressure. Low blood count." said Peter.

"Yup, so Peter you are ready to do this."

"Yes of course. Take whatever you have to do. Just make sure that she is sound and healthy. I can never really handle another loss."

"Okay, then hold your right hand out." said Jemma as her hand flew over her syringes and bottles with careful expertise.

She rubbed Peter's wrist with an antiseptic liquid as she plunged the needle in his vein. Peter's face contorted with pain. He concentrated on MJ, almost expecting her to leap out of the bed anytime and laugh everything off. Sometimes he wished it so bad to happen to him.

He concentrated on her as more pints of blood drained from his wrist and flowed through the tube. Agent Fitz came rushing in

"What was that I heard? It sounded like a constant beep. Is everything all right? … Oh no no no. This is not happening." Fitz looked stressed out as well. There was someone who entered alongside him but Peter was too distracted to notice.

He scratched his head as he neared the Jemma Simmons. He saw the blood flowing from his veins to MJ's body.

Fitz backed away a few paces and spoke up.

"Jemma, if you need anything I am here." said Fitz as he put on the surgical gloves on his hands.

"Thank you Fitz. But I think I should be able to handle it from here."

Peter stood there, as blood drained from his blood into the almost skeleton frame of MJ.

After drawing on considerable amount of blood, Peter's knees started to buckle due to sudden weakness that overwhelmed him.

A pair of soft hands held him as he was almost on the verge of falling of down.

He allowed himself to be held up and he could feel another prick,

The needle was probably being pulled out of his veins. Something soft was dabbed on the place where the needle had once been.

He opened his eyes. And looked into a pair of delicate brown eyes, eyebrows manicured.

It was not Fitz. It was Agent Sky, who bent over him.

She was holding him, helping him to regain his footing before he fell down, pushing him.

"Thank you." Came a meek response from him.

There was a shuffle of footsteps. Fitz came rushing to his aid. It was only best thing he could come up with. He was weak as he tried to control the violent tremors on his legs, as though his legs would fall apart from the socket itself.

"Yup, no problem" said Skye softly as she helped him get up on his feet.

Jemma came rushing forward.

"I had to draw more than a pint of your blood for transfusion …" said Simmons desperately.

"Nothing matters to me. Just ensure that she would be alright. I don't want anything to happen to her."

 _Nothing can happen to her._

Peter said to himself. People always seemed to die around him. He won't be able to absolve himself enough if he anything ever happened to her. He was quietly to his room and tucked him on his bed by the aid of Skye and Fitz.

Peter was too weak to think of anything else. He just wanted to disappear beneath the soft feathery cotton pillow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter woke up with a start. He was hungry. It was like his innards twisting among themselves, it was nauseating like he might throw up. His throat was parched. He leaped up to his feet and opened the mini fridge and pulled two large double decker ham sandwiches and a bottle of fruit juice.

He ripped the plastic open on top of it and took a large bite as far he could shove the sandwich into his throat. He chewed on it hard, desperately trying to force it down his throat.

Oh God! If there was something he could describe that was beyond heavenly, then that was it.

The rich cream, mayo, lettuce, olives, slices, spices of cucumber, tomato and a dash of pepper, with a thick slice of ham in between the soft floury bread.

Mmm.

He finished the sandwiches and the fruit juice and burped with great satisfaction.

He found himself to be significantly better, his full stomach was helping him think.

MJ received a blood interfusion from him.

He prayed the gods with all his concentration and strength, hoping that she would be already up.

He slipped into something decent, a pair of trousers and headed where Mary Jane was still lay.

Peter literally rushed out of his room, almost knocking down Agent Coulson.

"Agent Coulson. How are you?" said Peter a little shocked not expecting him to turn up so suddenly. Agent Coulson looked fine other than the tourniquet that was around his left arm. His face was fine., other than a few extra creases that should not have stayed on. His face was no longer bruised up bad.

"I am fine thank you. Actually I had come to check up on you."

Peter was speechless. He did not expected him to turn up and check on him let alone take care of him. He was embarrassed.

"I wanted you to know how truly sorry I am for my rude behaviour. I was way out of line and I promise you that this won't happen in future."

"Oh certainly, I hope so. But still I should say you were right to correct me. You are an outsider, someone with a completely different perspective how people should really behave with each other. And for letting me realize my wrongs I am thankful to you. I belief we are slowly losing our way with people here. You know staying away from people and all that."

Peter was happy. He was surprised that Agent Coulson had actually listened to him. He could almost find himself blushing with awkwardness as there was nothing he really had to say to whatever Agent Coulson spoke up.

"And I think I should tell you that Mary Jane on the other hand is fine. She is almost conscious. I think you could go and speak to her."

 _What? MJ is finally speaking up._

 _Now this is news._

Peter thanked Agent Coulson and he rushed downstairs where he found Fitz, Simmons and Skye coped up around her. She was speaking to them. This was good, probably one of the best days of his life, well nothing could compare to the time when had agreed to go out on a date with him. That was still his perfect moment but for now this was perfect for him. This would do for now.

Peter put on a big smile as he rushed inside.

"Oh thank god. MJ"

Peter almost ran at her. She was still looking pale but she was looking a lot healthier the last time he saw her. She was recovering quickly.

"Peter. Oh Peter. "Both Peter and MJ fell into an embrace like they had been away from each other for such a long time.

"Oh, look at you. You are fine, now I was really worried for you."

"The good doctor here Simmons had told me that I had an accident that I just can't seem to place. Were you hurt?".

 _Oh. She does not remember me being Spiderman._

Peter felt light headed. Before she got attacked, in her last fleeting moments of consciousness, she overheard the masked man revealing his identity to her, But it seemed that she had no memory of that incident.

"Not as bad as you. How are you feeling?" Peter bent down and put a hand on her pressing it softly.

"I feel a little skimmish and a high and what place is this. Which hospital is this? I have never seen a hospital around her like this, and my goodness what is that sound. It almost seems like I am in an aircraft.". MJ burst out laughing as Fitz tried to control her.

"Mr. Parker may I have a moment alone with you please." Agent Simmons was giving him a googly eye stare obviously trying to tell him to play along.

He decided to play along.

"She doesn't know. Of course not. How can you not see this through? The less the people know about us the better. We are better off operating in shadows. As you have already guessed she is under the influence of morphine. She is going to fall asleep anytime now."

Peter looked at her. She was acting all weird. Like she really was in some in some pub, shooting her hands high up in the air, to an imaginary music that her mind was playing only to her. It was not long when she finally fell asleep.

"Peter I have to tell you something. It is about the blood that was transfused from you to her and she recovered at an exponential rate."

Jemma Simmons was obviously scared as though something was really bothering her.

"Well, that's good isn't it? Unless she is really starting to show some side effects …"

Peter trailed as the realisation hit like a pile of bricks slipping down into his stomach. His throat tightened as he expected the worst to hear to hear from her.

"No, no, it is not that. Her body accepted your blood like you know a jigsaw puzzle fitting straight into place, like it is her own blood and that is what fascinated me. All her injuries, internal, external, all gone in a jiffy. Like, pooff, all of a sudden, her body is in her optimal state, without a sign of any trauma that she had to face. Physically, she is top notch. I could discharge her right here if you want but I cannot guarantee anything about her mind. How much trauma she had to endure. It is very unlikely that all of that might ever resurface gain. I don't think it would ever resurface again. And how can I forget the most important part. Her uncanny resistance to powerful drugs."

Peter looked at her. He was scared. Thoughts tumbled in his mind like an insatiable volcano. This was not happening. It was not that he might actually like having a partner in crime. It would be handy but the repercussions would be tremendous. His blood could be the cure to the most destructive of all human diseases. Cancer, leprosy, AIDS and how knew what not.

Maybe, he was overthinking himself but this might come up anytime and this was dangerous.

"Peter, I respect you for what you have done for us and her. As already mentioned, you are our asset and your safety is our concern and your secret stays safe with us. But I tell, you it won't be much good a use to us anyway if this information somehow leaks out into the open world."

"That means, it was the same for me?" Peter looked at her as she gave a tight nod. He was in danger.

"To tell you the truth, I even tried to inject you with dendrotoxin, a very potent drug that we use it in our icing guns but it seemed to have almost no effect on you. You were mostly knocked out by the stress your body had to endure and no sleep. So it is pretty much the same for you."

Peter looked at her, he was going cryptic, and his eyebrows knitted close together trying hard to make out whatever she just revealed to him. It had never occurred to him that his blood could possibly be the key to unlock man's true potential.

Seeing all the confusion erupt in his face, Jemma spoke up once again.

"Peter I am reassuring you. I have not taken any sample from you for my own selfish needs. I am not like that of course. Why would I ever betray you? You could speak to Agent Coulson. If Agent Coulson wants he could make a call and SHIELD would be all over this place and then you would have no place to turn to. We are concerned about your safety. We want you lead the normal life you do. Part time high school genius and part time superhero. You know that you are doing this country a great a great service, right?"

Agent Simmons place a hand on his shoulder and further spoke on.

"And most importantly we are here for you. You can trust agent Coulson. If you could ever get to know him, you would realise what a big heart he has."

Peter spoke.

"I know that you really want me to succeed and be safe and I appreciate you all for it really and of course Mary Jane would have been in a much critical position by now if it had not been the joint effort of all of you all. Thank you." Peter looked at her meaning every word of it.

"I should probably go and speak to Agent Coulson now, I belief he has loads to say to me."

"Yeah, I bet he does. Go, on as I go and do a check up on her." Agent Simmons went back to MJ's cot to check up on her.

Peter went, moved through the corridor and found Phil Coulson seating coolly seating behind his desk.

Peter spoke up first before the conversation ever had a chance to become awkward.

"I guess Agent Simmons have already informed you about my curious case."

"Yes, she has." Agent Coulson spoke up with the same cool demeanour that he had in the beginning, his face had the same small puckered little smile.

"I can't really thank all of enough for keeping all of this a secrets. I don't know if I could ever be able to repay you guys."

"Oh you could do that, right now."

 _This could be expensive Peter. Think this through before you strike any deal with them._

"Okay, I just hope that you just don't make it too awkward whatever you are trying to offer here."

"The first thing I would want you to do is that if you ever find out that she has abilities like yourself here, I want you to take full responsibility of her. She would be completely your business. And as your well-wisher, I would advise you to keep a check on her. I would have no hand in here and this thing about your physiology, should never ever go out in public. I know you. I have studied you and I now realise that you would literally go any lengths to help people around you and I would like to remind you that you would be responsible for your own demise you fail to keep this nature of yours at check. And I realise that you have been a very valuable assistance to us and I would like you to assist us till we figure out and clear out this mess. Obviously, you are a lot more experienced than us and I see you did a pretty good job back on field and handled yourself pretty well. I would like take this chance and extend this partnership. What do you say?"

Peter thought for a moment. This seemed fair, his options were open. He wanted take the infected guys down and he would have a team with him.

"Yes, I will help you as a freelancer. And since this is all over when can I get back home. Sorry for being so blunt but I need to get back. It has been too traumatising for me and for the people I am close to. And there is my school work of course." said Peter.

"I understand and I get it that you need to get back and I really appreciate it. Truth be told, I see a my younger in you and I am sorry being harsh on you previously."

Peter looked at him once again and he didn't have anything to say to him. Agent Coulson, a secret agent was empathising with him. Even his dreams won't be able to concoct something like this. Peter wanted enjoy this, savour the moment as long as this went.

"Okay that's nice, I guess."

"I will make a few phone calls and make a few arrangements and get you and your lady friend safe passage. You could use that time to pack your belongings, say your good byes."

Yay. He was getting off the BUS. It was an awesome aircraft but he was not ready to embrace a life of secret missions and cut out from the entire human society. He liked being near people and he still had his entire life lined ahead with tremendous opportunities, hopes and dreams, get into college and other materialistic stuff.

Peter smiled. But he would really miss Fitz – Simmons. They were good to him and helped him out here. He went to his room and packed his belonging, stuffed them inside and went to meet Fitz Simmons and Skye. They were cooped out around MJ's cot and all of them were having a good laugh. It seemed MJ was having a wonderful time along with them.

"Yo, Pete, What up? Did my aunt come to visit me?"

Shit he had to lie to her again.

"She is on her way now. She will be coming within a few minutes now."

Seeing his back packed up and ready, MJ spoke up.

"Where are you going Pete? You are not leaving me are you? You could at least stay till my aunt gets back. And anyway this place is awesome. These doctors here are unnaturally friendly."

Oh, this was turning out to be a bit more complicated than he had expected it to turn out to be. But fortunately, she was preoccupied with them. Them Fitz excused himself from the group and met up with Peter.

"Peter I have something to give you come follow me." said Fitz with anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

"What is it?"

Fitz jogged up to his room, his was all pumped about something.

"Fitz entered his room and pulled open one of the drawers and drew out a belt like object like that had his signature colours on it – red and blue.

He handed it to Peter.

"This is a belt that I designed for you. I figured, you might be able to store up a few things in here like check this out. You press this button and this become a living bomb with a capacity enough to tear down a ten storied building. There is this compound that can knock out almost any enemy …"

"Dendrotoxin" Peter spoke for him.

"Oh, so you know about this. Anyway, you add this to your web and you have your own knock out cold web."

"Cool." Peter was stunned. He never actually thought that he would be getting all this cool tech, It would make his day a lot easier.

"And there are a few empty compartments on your belt and I figure that your web shooter and your webbing components are different."

"Yes it is"

"So you could store extra pellets in her if you ever running out of webbing."

Peter kept listening to whatever Fitz said to him with rapt interest. He looked at him with renewed respect.

 _This guy is a genius and a thoughtful inventor. I hope I can work with him about something in future._

"Fitz, I don't know how I can ever repay you. I just wish I could have spent more time with you. I would have showed you my web shooters and there is not enough time. It is time for me and MJ to take off."

"No, no. It was my pleasure to have shown you and I wish we could have really got along provide the time was not so short. And of course this is a watch that Agent Coulson wants you to have."

Peter looked at it. It looked just like any other digital watch.

"This is a two way com. A very standard piece of equipment, of course designed by me. Agent Coulson can speak to you directly and you could speak to him. And the best thing about this is its merging capabilities. You press this button and voila."

The watch went invisible. He could feel its weight in his palm but other than that it looked like his palm were opened for no reason.

"There is a button up here. You press this and.."

The watch was visible again. This some something beyond cool.

"I might end up figuring out exactly how this operates one day, particularly the invisible part and I would be there to show it to you, maybe on my suit." Peter spoke up

"I would be counting in it, mate." said Fitz giving him a thumbs up.

Peter was unhappy for not being able to have spent more time with this guy. He knew that the two of them could get along really well and he really wanted to spend more time with him.

"Maybe be next time." said Peter as he shared peculiar handshake with him.

He looked out for Agent May who was busy working out in her room.

And Agent ward was still in weak from the impact he had taken.

Agent Ward thanked him helping him and looking out for the team.

He went back and exchanged good byes with Jemma Simmons and agent Skye. It was a bit awkward with Agent Skye as they really didn't get on a positive note in the beginning.

But Skye then gave a very awkward hug that Peter found a bit over whelming. His face grew beet root red when Fitz and Simmons burst out laughing. He looked at them as he hung his head. He couldn't stop smiling.

"That is Skye's way of saying thank you and all that you have done for us," said Jemma as she tried to control her laughter this time.

Right then his watched beeped and vibrated he looked at it. Fitz came running down to help him.

"Oh and to accept calls, you have to press this button."

Fitz pressed a small button that was at the periphery if the watch and he could see Agent Coulson's face lit up in the small screen.

"Peter. We set up an appointment in the New York's general hospital. Mary Jane Watson will be admitted there and all arrangement have already been made. And we will be landing in a few minutes"

"Yes Agent Coulson."

His face disappeared from the screen and it was replaced by a soft glow of digital watch. The time was half past ten.

Peter was eagerly waiting to resume his old life as New York's web slinger and Gwen's boyfriend and trying to resume his life as a model student. He had to look out for his aunt as he knew better not to take their threats lightly. They had invaded Gwen's place and they might do it again and this time it could be his aunt. He had to be careful.

And of course there was MJ. He had to look for too. She had his blood in her. Would she really turn out to be a mutant like him or would she be normal. Would she be head over heels, would she misuse it? Or would she secretly resort to crime fighting like himself. And the escaped handler, he had to take care of him sooner or later. He knew awfully lot about him and his life. This what scared him? He had to pursue him soon. Maybe he would call in SHIELD. Subconsciously, Peter reached for the blare in his head, reached for his spider sense and the undying beep in his head was undeniable.

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NOTE-

I hope that I have been able to satisfy you. And regarding the powers, MJ had to have a blood transfusion to obtain superhuman qualities. You know that the radioactive spider bite was compatible to Peter's DNA exclusively, right? And that later will be the foundation of something big. And Gwen is going to have to play a role in this.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note – First I would like to thank all the anonymous readers and reviewers who have helped me and given me ideas. And of course my reviewers. I could never have been able to get myself this far out. You have given me confidence, inspired me – kindleflame5, Winterrain36, Highlander348. Thank you, once again.  
I have been lacking a bit of inspiration so I took up quite some time to come up with this chapter. Hope you like it.

Reviews are comforting to me like snuggling inside a warm blanket on a cold day. Please leave them behind as they inspire me to write up more. Suggestions are welcome. Positive or negative it does not matter, really.

I don't own any characters of Spider Man os AOS.

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It has been a few days now and life was normal for the people of New York but not for Peter. Things were pretty messed up now. MJ was fine and was out most of the time, out with Harry, partying and god knows what else. Peter was really concerned about her.

Peter had been inside the school cafeteria having his lunch with Gwen when he narrated everything to her, what had happened to MJ.

Gwen was shocked to learn about the events that had taken place during the past forty eight hours.

As he narrated the events, he realised that the things outside their life seemed to be so insignificant sometimes, that it scared the hell out of him.

Life was trivial when he compared it to the frugal frivolous life that he led as Peter Parker and giving himself up for the greater good was a lot better option.

Gwen knew that and she could not argue to him about that. The world needed him more than she did. She just occasionally helped him out in his science projects and the steady supply of web fluid courtesy from Oscorp and of course the ingenious spider tracers that she helped Peter build, that was attuned to his spider sense.

Peter could make out her distressed eyes that she tried to hide it.

Gwen was tired of doing squat and not doing anything and she desolately tried to tell him something how desperate she wanted to be of help but how insignificant it was all was at the end. Nothing could be compared to the costumed hero that had saved the lives of countless people now. But then Peter comforted her telling her that her presence was what helped this costumed hero to do the work that he did. She was his song, she was the colour of his life so he didn't care if she did anything insignificant. Only Gwen mattered to him.

Nothing else. Ever.

And then suddenly, out of the blue, when MJ turned up of all a sudden and sat down beside Peter.

"Peter I have got to tell you something. Come and meet me at the back." So saying she quickly walked up to the exit at the periphery of the school cafeteria.

MJ seemed pretty scared, her eyes were terrified and Peter could almost guess it. It surely might have something to do something with his blood running in her veins. Peter looked at Gwen for approval and she nodded grimly knowing what it would be that concerned Peter.

Peter slowly walked up from his table and went up to meet MJ.

Peter found her near her locker, her palms were on the cold steel metal door and she was shaking violently. Her hair concealed most of her face. Peter paced up quickly and stood beside her.

"What is it?" Peter was concerned about her.

He knew of all people what she was really going through.

MJ was shaking. And then all of a sudden, heavy droplets of water fell from her face when she turned to face Peter. She eyes were bloodshot red, her eyebrows were joined at the centre almost angry and the red freckles on her face seemed more prominent than ever. She looked at Peter.

"Peter help me. I can't help it. There is something inside me. I am not well."

Peter already knew what it was all about what was it that pushed her to him in the first place. But he wasn't ready to face all of this. He expected this outbreak but he never thought how exactly she would handle.

He looked at her. He knew why she came to him of all people. And he himself was scared shitless out of his mind. He just wanted to do something ordinary for now. This week had been pretty extraordinary and on top of that he had to look out for his aunt May and Gwen too. God knows what lurked in the neighbourhood nowadays. And the last thing he expected was a blood sucking vampire. If he ever saw one, Peter knew that he would die a happy man at having seen everything that the world ever had to offer.

"What? You are not well, come let me get Gwen and we will get you to see a doctor."

"NO Peter. This thing in me … tells me stuff, my body catches on fire like I am about to do something exhilarating. And then there is thing weird stuff that keeps me up at nights, like witnessing a nightmare every day and then there is this weird connection when I see you and the vibes that I get when I am with Harry. I have learnt to ignore them but when I am sober, things try to get the better of me. And right now I see danger everywhere. When I mean everywhere, I mean it."

 _Was that her spider sense? So it has finally kicked in. Hell, I did not feel so horrible when it first happened to me. I have got to take her away._

"Come her MJ, I will take you home, you are just sick that's all, all the things that you had to face has been the real problem. Its just the traumatic stress acting up. The car accident had done something to you, you might have a condition there after but the doctors said that it would be dormant."

"Oh, you mean that female lady, Dr Simmons"

"Yes, maybe. Let me take you home, okay? I am sure a good night's rest is all that you need. And most of all, try to distance yourself from Harry. He is always trying to do something outrageous. Your safety is the main concern here. You could tell him that you are sick. I am sure that he would understand." said Peter as she tried to comfort her.

Peter half hoped that Harry would never show up. He was just bad news. He did not want her getting mixed up in his life. First, he witnessed a demonic transformation in his father and his spider sense goes all mad when he sees him. He was bad news and complication with MJ with his blood in her was another thing completely. He had to think it through. He had to see that. Peter pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialled in Gwen's number asking her to meet him.

He could not leave MJ here all alone, lest she tries something stupid. He had to be with her. This was crucial.

Gwen came running to meet the two of them. MJ gave Gwen a weak smile before she almost fell on the floor. Gwen rushed to her side as she put her arms around MJ protectively as Peter supported the other side of her. She felt her forehead.

"Peter, it looks like she has fever. A high one I should say. It's a wonder how come is still managing to speak right now. And how exactly it caught up to her. She was a fine moments ago in the trigonometry class. What is going on with her?" Gwen was as confused as ever trying to identify her condition.

Peter looked at her.

"Not now." He mouthed the words at her carefully so that MJ could not hear him.

"Ok, I help her up and take her home. Gwen, could you go up and file for her condition that she would be on leave?" Peter suggested.

Gwen walked away quickly to file in the necessary complaints and she looked on at Peter as she nodded at him with approval.

Peter looked at MJ once again and he saw her trying hard to keep her eyes open. She fought on with all the strength she had and she squeaked as she placed a hand on Peter face.

"Peter … Spider – muh ..."

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Peter took her back to her home she was greeted by both their aunts.

There he found Aunt May with Aunt Anna Watson hanging out together having tea and cake. Seeing MJ's weak body, supported by Peter and Gwen, they almost dropped their cups.

"My goodness, what had happened to her?" said Aunt Watson as she ran to her aid. Aunt May came rushing forward behind her. Both of them were scared.

Gwen kept quiet, afraid that she might say something else.  
"Nothing. Heat stroke I guess." said Peter weakly trying his best to musk the concern in his voice.

"Heat stroke, during classes, come on you have got to be kidding me. She is a lot tougher than that." remarked Aunt May.

"Or maybe she could be dehydrated. She had a party at Harry's isn't it? Maybe it was something she had taken in." suggested Peter trying to make a straight face as possible.

"OR Maybe, Peter you should have taken her to the hospital. Why did you bring her here? She could be seriously dehydrated." said Aunt May seriously pissed off at him by now. Aunt Watson was already over MJ fussing all over her, clearly not knowing what to do.

"I assure you she is alright. Just a fleeting moment of weakness." said Peter trying his best to sound like he knew what he was actually saying, turning away from her.

"Peter get back here. I don't know what is going on with you lately, but this is not I expected from you. I warm you and get back here when I am speaking to you." Aunt May was already after Peter.

Peter quickly reached for the jug of water and splashed it on her face.

MJ woke with a start, sucking in huge gasps of air as though she has been devoid of fresh air.

"Told you she is fine." said Peter.

Aunt May and Watson looked at him as though he had completely lost it. People knew Peter to be kind hearted and considerate but what he did right then seemed to prove something else.

He was blunt about it and completely insensible. Peter understood that but they were just concerned about her about her health which was alright, they had a right to be concerned about her but little did they know that they had him completely wrong. Peter knew exactly what was going on with her and he was ready to turn himself into a cold steel hearted fellow if needed be. He knew that the world was better off not knowing all about it.

The first time during the course of his transformation when he had experienced the ache in body, the unpleasant tingling sensation in his fingers that felt during the shift in equilibrium and the senses in his mind when everything was all so magnified and well defined. He had a hard time dealing with all of it.

And MJ would probably go through the same thing but for now she was somehow holding up. She seemed fine. Peter wondered how long it would be before it started. She sat straight up and spoke up in a tired voice.

"I think I need some rest. I will be fine." said MJ meekly.

"But my dear, it would be best if we take you to the hospital." said Aunt Watson.

"No … I am fine. Am just feeling a little out of weather. I have not been having much sleep lately and I am fine otherwise, really. Gwen please take me up to my room if my aunt doesn't want me to." said MJ weakly as both of them tried to help her up to her room.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, dear?" asked Aunt Watson a bit suspicious now. She was never cranky when she spoke with her aunt.

"No... That's all." protested MJ diffidently.

"OK, take some rest and then I will take you to the hospital whether you like it or not."

Mary Jane was too weak to protest any more. She gladly took Aunt Watson, May and Gwen's help up to her room.

After tucking her in her bed Aunt May came rushing down stairs with Gwen behind her.

"You and me, we need to talk right now. Come on" said Aunt May as she pulled Peter's arm and practically dragged him to their home.

Gwen gave a small smile to Peter waving at him and gave him the best of luck. She knew that it would be rough for him now.

Aunt May scolded him and told him how immature he was and all other stuff and to make it worse, she grounded him for a week. No contact, not even with Gwen, or no more sneaking up at night in his secret liaisons.

And of course there was this extrimis problem, he soon had to take care of. He could not tell this to his aunt.

Peter slugged his way back to his room and plopped down on his bed with his aunt constantly shouting in the dos and don'ts that he had to do.

Peter looked at himself on the mirror and tried to manage his unkempt hair when something hit him mentally, like an overwhelming tide sweeping through his head. It was all very confused and scarred.

Everything was faded away from his vision fast.

He somehow made it to his bed before falling face down on his blanket.

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Things, thoughts, feelings all of them amplified moved around in his head like a tornado. He felt the same things that he had felt when he first experienced the spider bite. But this time it was a bit different. It seemed as though he was inside someone's head.

Who was it? Who is it?

And worst of all, he could tear himself away from the mind that was not his no matter how hard he tried to. He forced his mind to probe further into the mind he was in. These thoughts were similar once again. He travelled to similar places in the mind that he was on invading. Queens and … hang on … Did he just see himself? Playing and running around with a red headed little freckled face child. Torturous childhood days with her dad, sunny days with himself, fighting over petty things, the marvellous skyline of Philadelphia, meeting with Gwen and the fun nights with Harry and the most difficult and disturbing.

And then the scenery changed to somewhat modern. It was like taking a peek into what the future would be like. Everything modernised, cars, gadgets, buildings, people and also their dressing sense. They seemed broken to him, specks of a large memory the broken fragments of the day where she went with Peter hand in hand, her face was shadowed over, it was not clear … somewhere in the distant future … somewhere seemed so far yet so near. Made no sense to him.

Peter further probed and then he realised what he was seeing.

It was Mary Jane. He was in Mary Jane's head, he was in her consciousness. There was like this weird thread, a shadowy web that seemed to connect all his thoughts with hers and then his experiences, her quirkiness, her happy playful days and there was a foreign conscious creeping in his mind.

Peter could feel his anguish all over again, like someone was invading his conscience the day when he lost his Uncle Ben. The same anguish that MJ felt when her own father ill-treated her, all were one. Connected through the same pain. Like a single hemisphere of two sad but yet surprisingly potent minds.

Have their minds somehow linked together psychologically?

The terrifying scream … a dream that he never expected to stay in his head for this long … of Gwen, falling as though he tried to reach for her and she kept slipping between his fingers and she simply let go off him as though knowing nothing was ever going to come out of it.

There was darkness, an onyx planet, there was nothing this dark that was overloaded with hatred and malice.

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He woke up to find MJ sitting beside him. Peter could feel his head solid like a rock, like a very bad hangover. And for some reason, he did actually what is was like to have a bad hang over not that he actually ever had one but he felt that he knew the feeling or he could relate it to as though he really felt it.

He found MJ sitting beside his bed.

"Peter. We have to talk." began MJ silently.

"Yep, I believe we do." said Peter. He groaned as he rose up from his bed.

Things were pretty clear to him now. MJ seemed stable now. If Mary Jane wanted to speak to him, it could be only one thing and Peter was ready for it. He knew MJ had seen the same things that he did. The same experience he had in her as she had in him.

"Peter you are him. You are the one, the web slinger." She almost looked at him a bit shocked, a bit surprised and a bit scared.

"What … What are you talking about? You sure about it?" said Peter thinking of trying to play it a little for a little while.

"Come on. I had been pretty confused in the beginning. You had the sinking feeling too right, it was like I was in your head, all those thoughts, all your childhood, all your experiences, compiled and summed up in a most exquisite way that I had never imagined it to be. The spider bite at Oscorp and your in evident crush for Gwen. uugh… that was particularly gross but you were him all along, the dork who surpassed them all. You were the one who bashed up the hideous lizard that terrorised this city. You were there when things went south in that zombie case right. And you were the one who went with me there when …" MJ trailed off,

"Ooh.. ooh Oh my god." exclaimed MJ.

"I was dead and yet I survived, it was all your blood. That is why I have been having this funny feeling lately. It all makes perfect sense to me now. ooh .. What was that? Why is the honking so loud? Was that the kettle, its tearing my head apart, make it stop. Please make it stop." MJ clutched her head like she was hurting bad. She was clearly over her head. She had the same traits that he possessed, the spider sense, acute senses that was all she was showing right now.

"Peter make it stop. Peter make it go away, I can't, there is danger everywhere ... There are open electric sockets, possibility of getting electrocuted, you might accidentally knock that cup of tea by the table and that is hot enough to burn anyone at least a first degree burn and that lady she is sad, her little boy is nowhere to be seen. What is all this?" MJ was crying hysterically. She was completely over whelmed. Her eyes were sad. She was scared out of her wits.

"MJ just stay right there just try to concentrate on my.."

"What? Why are you shouting, there is too much going on, why can't the people be just quiet why are they shouting."

MJ had already started a racket and Peter would be in major trouble. His aunt would come in any moment and if she heard her scream and it would be bad.

 _This is not happening, you are screwed up._

"What who said that? Shut up. I am not screwed up." screamed MJ at the top of her lungs.

Peter was stunned.

 _Did she just read my mind?_

"Speak of whose mind." MJ looked at him tearfully.

Peter realised what it was all about. They were somehow linked, now that both of them had a common DNA. He had to make her learn how to help her, control her overwhelmed senses. Peter spoke to her, invoked her, tried to calm her down by accessing her most calm memories and the only memory he could ever find of her was with himself. And so he concentrated on them inside her head.

The way they ran around each other below the sun kissed earth, the lilies and daffodils, swaying with the wind. Peter concentrated on that a lot, hung on to that till he almost started to sweat in exhaustion when her loud crying was no more than a few hiccups and chocking sounds that she now made.

Peter now slowly spoke to her.

 _"Hi MJ."_

"OOOOO. Who was that?" She was almost on the verge of crying again hearing a voice that he knew so well was Peter's but when she looked at Peter and Peter mouth was not open nor was he making any lip movement, other than gazing into her steadily. She was scared further more.

Peter knew that this was not the way. It was not the way he could help her. He had to try a more personal approach.

Peter went near her placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her in her mind.

 _"MJ, everything is fine. This is not what it seems. I will help you control you all of these. Let me help you"_

Peter forced his memories, the first time when he learnt to control his senses, the first time when he had them like cold water pouring over his brain, everything were so well defined for the first time, what he had been missing for so long, when he saw it for the first time. And imparting the same his experiences unto her, like a child seeing the world for the first time. Her eyes shone with terror and transfixion that she had never seen, the way he saw things, his senses, how he controlled them, his ability to stick to walls, and everything he had experienced, something that could be so ghastly yet be intangible at the same time.

And when it was all over, she sat down silently, staring back into Peter's caramel brown eyes, panting a little.

She suddenly got up and hugged him hard, like he was going to leave her.

None of that mattered anyway, Peter could feel the pain, her emotions as he tried to sooth them, make her see the reason. Most of the time they remained quiet, like mental therapy, pouring their thoughts in each other.

 _"So you are him, and there I would have the same things like you do, right? Like your strength, jumping and the sense, you call it a spider sense right?"_

 _"Yes, you should have those and I am not sure if you might even have them because I know that your sense is a bit different than mine. Your sense is stronger than mine. I can sense it. Your sense probably extends a few blocks if I am not mistaken but mine goes as far as a few rooms at the most."_

 _"Nice, and thank you Peter truth be told, now that I am able to control it. You helped me out."_

 _"Yeah what are friends for."_

 _"Hey, what do you think I can really do?"_

 _"I can't say anything more, you have to seek it for yourself."_

"And you are going to help me." said MJ cheerfully aloud almost startling him.

"And how do you propose we do that?" said Peter out loud.

MJ looked at her wrists, scratching it absent-mindedly like an itch, a rash. She looked at it and then turned to Peter.

"And Peter, what is this? This has been messing with me for quite some time." said MJ as she turned her wrists over inspecting them, Peter came near her when he saw the red slightly swollen area that had small holes in it, like small spinnerets, that had started to develop on her wrists like small holes, pores. Something was oozing out of it.

MJ touched it. It was sticky. She pinched the area and attempted to pull it away from her hand. The thing was long sticky, transparent mucous, a small web line that extended from her wrists like it was a part of her. MJ was shocked and Peter was vivified.

"Oh, now she has her own web now." stuttered a stunned Peter.

"Oh yes, my dear I do then, isn't it awesome, we could check it out? What do you say?" said MJ with enthusiasm.

"We could I guess could. I know that place near my apartment, we could do our try outs there as much as we like. And best of all it is completely secluded."

"We have got to figure it out how this thing works exactly. And we can swing side by side and fight crime." MJ spoke up with spirit.

"Well, don't get too excited now. But yep, let's do it." agreed Peter.

Peter and MJ sneaked out and jumped out of his window in to the garden that had not been tendered for weeks. Weed and unwanted plants grew all over the garden and the hedge was completely overgrown. It was not at all trimmed to shape and it was something that his aunt asked him to do a long time ago.

It was already dark and the evening sun had a strange magenta orange hue in tin the sky. It was inky in certain places like patches.

 _"Let me see what you have got now, try to keep up with me." Spoke Peter in her mind as he leaped forward and started to sprint along alleyways._

 _"Hey, wait up …. Oh yes, don't wait for me. Lets see what I really do have"_ said MJ accepting the challenge.

Peter ran quickly and he slowly pushed his consciousness inside MJ. He could see himself in her as she jumped forward and ran forward with all her strength. She caught up to him easily after a few seconds and was already at par with him.

She looked at him grinning madly at him.

 _"Well, I guess that means I can run as fast as you do."_

 _"Nice, now try this."_ said Peter as he leaped on a building started to crawl quickly on it like that of a lizard.

MJ was still down staring at him when he felt the equilibrium in her shift as she tried to access the experiences that he had already fed her.

She leapt up the wall and almost caught up with Peter with a single leap.

It seemed that she had the same ability like him to achieve a sense of perfect equilibrium in any position imaginable. He could adjust his position by instinct which enabled him to balance himself on virtually any surface or any object no matter how small or how narrow it was.

 _"Nice, so you have webs and strength and crawl on walls like me too."_

 _"Yep, OH MY GOD. This is fun. All these senses and I wonder why you stay such a dork all the time. You could been a so famous in our schools that people would be all over you. You could have been their hero or a budding stud."_

 _"I know but I know that it is not right." countered Peter._

 _"Come on, now, don't be a pussy."_

Peter helped her see the reason what he wanted, why he was so quiet and why he never indulged in activities that could have made him the coolest kid in his school. Why did he not choose to do it?

Everything, for the death of his uncle, how lives could really be at stake, if he would showed off, and of course the thought that was unbreakable in his mind, like a tombstone, a foundation so strong that could never be bent or broken even if he wanted to.

"With great Power, comes great responsibility."

He could never forget this, this was what his Uncle Ben wanted him to realise before he passed away and for that he was grateful, of all that was worth.

MJ understood him, why he remained the way he was. Why he never succumbed to the merits and the strengths that he had.

 _"Race you ahead, MJ" Peter ran forward catching her completely off guard._

 _"OH you are so on."_

MJ followed Peter as he leaped from one building to the other. She did a pretty good job in following Peter as he leaped, and dodged obstacles and stayed away from the street lights. MJ followed him following and leaping like a kangaroo.

He turned around to check on MJ.

He did not find her anywhere. He did not see her anywhere.

Peter stopped and reached for her mind.

 _"MJ where are you?"_

 _"Why? I am near you? You can't see me? There now I am standing, right near you, four eyes"_

"Oh come on, this is not funny MJ. Come on out wherever you are." Peter spoke out loud.

"Hey I am right here. I am not joking." MJ's voice sounded surprisingly near him as though she just a few feet away from him.

Peter was spooked out. He groped around in the air absent minded as though she was there somewhere near him.

"MJ this is very dirty. Come on now, I am not liking this. Come out now. I can't even sense you." said Peter a little scared.

Then he felt a soft pair of hands holding his hand.

But Peter was looking at the empty air. He could feel something, a presence lingering near him but he could not see it.

And then Peter almost screamed.

Out of the thin air, MJ materialised out as though she had been there standing there, near him all along.

"What? That was really not funny?" said MJ rather drawn aback completely oblivious to the fact that she had actually not been there.

"Well I should be the saying that to you, MJ. You were invisible."

"What? I am invisible."

MJ looked at her hands. She could see her hands and then then slowly her hands were clouded, milky before they slowly become transparent and then disappeared thin into the air.

"Whoa … I am invisible." exclaimed MJ.

There was a small puddle of water beside her feet. There were occasional ripples over the surface as one of her foot touched the edge of the puddle. She could no longer see herself on the clear water of the water. She really was invisible.

Peter was a bit concerned about her. She was invisible and she could no longer control herself, all these sudden power development was a bit and the most of what intrigued him was her range of powers. They were way different than him. As though the spider DNA had a completely different way of expressing itself in MJ body, like a DNA that everybody has a unique printing ability, making him realise that she needs to be careful. God knows what she might develop now.

She might have hoards of abilities that were latent inside her now and now she had started to develop them all of a sudden. Almost like tampering the frequency of a radio, Peter had a different frequency and MJ's was different, way different. And he knew that there was no one better than himself and he could really help her harness all of them.

They had reached the place where Peter thought he could help her, use her own biological webbing, to blend in the shadows which she already excelled at, be silent, show her the perks of having them, how to use them to her own advantage. And she of course was in a more advantageous position in terms of her unique skillset. And that itself spoke out for her. And that itself paved a way for her ingenuity, how different she was from Peter.

They reached the site that Peter promised her. A place where he could help her train, harness her abilities. It was an old dilapidated warehouse, almost on the verge of complete breakdown encased them as they stepped into the cracked linoleum. There were steel linked chains that hung from the air attached to rungs that were fixed to the ceilings. AT the centre there was a dim incandescent bulb that tried its best to illuminate to extremely large warehouse eating away the darkness everywhere. And almost half of the place there lay an intricate system of pipes that were all over each other with small gaps in the middle. It was impossible for a normal human to get through the series of pipes without getting hurt as all of them had nasty jagged ends all throughout its length.

Over all the entire place was dusty, the distinctive odour of rusty nails and the squeaking of rats were distinct, cobwebs hung from the ceiling at small dark corners where no human could possibly think of looking. The entire warehouse was sun deprived and hence a musty smell hung in the room.

"Oh this is some place you have got." spoke MJ out aloud, her voice echoing through the four dilapidated room. She cringed her nose at the unpleasant smell that hung around in the air.

"This is the place where I first came when it first started for me." said Peter as he looked around. The old memories came flooding inside his head. The old skateboard which lay broken on an old had worn down table. And on the table lay a few buckets of dried paint that almost looked like tar now.

 _"It has really been so long. I can't remember the last time I came here", thought Peter_

 _"Oh, has it has really been so long?"_ MJ's thought in his mind almost scaring the crap out of him again.

"Jesus, MJ…" said Peter rolling his eyes at her. He had to get used to the fact that both of their heads were connected.

"Twice in a row now hasn't it." said MJ cheerfully.

"Okay, now we need to concentrate on the facts at hand. I will help you learn to use these abilities of yours." spoke out Peter.

"You are boring. Let us just play a game. I have borrowed all your experiences. So I don't think we need any introductions on what I can actually do. Let us see who wins in a race." said MJ with a challenging voice.

"A race? A race through the pipeline network. You are sure, you are up for it?" said Peter his thoughts were a bit conflicting should anything happen to her. He had already been grounded and he didn't want another set of rules to his already existing ones.

"Oh, Pete. Always a pussy, always a pussy. As if I would wait for you." so saying MJ suddenly took off. She sprinted forward with ferocity.

Peter took off behind her heels. She ran with an alarming speed but soon Peter caught up to her as she made her way through the intricate pipeline network. She leapt through it without a slightest hint of hesitation.

Peter, himself was impressed at her confidence.

Even though she shared all the same experiences as Peter, still she seemed to be more amble bodied than him.

He leaped into the pipeline mess attempting to follow her. Peter went into the mess ducking and jumping with ease, using his hands to haul himself through the old pipes that now bend under his weight.

And further ahead in the front he saw MJ swinging on forward like a lithe monkey with a precision and vigour. Peter tapped in her consciousness as he kept following her. She was leaping jumping like she had been doing this for so long and the happiness in her head was like spring season, warm and fuzzy.

Peter smiled and he saw her laughing and leaping like a small little girl as though she has been promised a candy. Peter followed as she leaped through the last pipe.

Peter completed the pipeline maze and found MJ elated and snickering.

"I won, web head. You should be ashamed of yourself. I just beat the Amazing Spider man at his own race."

"MJ that was cheating all the way. You used my memories as shortcuts to get past me and that was no way fair." defended Peter.

"I don't care … and this was way too awesome. You have been enjoying this for years, haven't you?" said MJ as she neared him attempting to say something funny and embarrassing.

"NO things have been more than complicated than that. I …" countered Peter.

"Wait Peter … you hear that?" spoke up MJ suddenly. Her eyes were suddenly wide open in concentration.

"What?" Peter accessed her head, her spider sense that picked up the anomaly that he could never have picked up.

Somewhere a few blocks ahead, there was a woman screaming, the scene was hazy, there was an infected. A rogue infected who seemed to have separated from the pack and now thriving on its own. It hissed at her loudly. The infected had square broken blackened teeth, one of its eyes missing. It took a step at her and the woman screamed and took off running. The infected followed her, mad with hunger and untamed rage. It was obvious what the result would turn out to be. She would be torn apart by the infected unless they intervened on time.

"Pete, we have to go save her. And it was one of them wasn't it? The one who put me in the hospital?" enquired MJ.

Peter didn't have to say anything to her. She probed in his mind and the scene came to life when she had been hurt when she almost died.

"What is all this? You told me that there was an accident. A car accident. There was no accident was it?" MJ probed further into his mind where she now found out everything. Peter tried his best to conceal the incident in his mind by putting as many barriers as he could but her mind invaded everything ferociously, he fell down on his knees clutching his hair to hold the immense pain that erupted in his head. The entire incident played again on his head like watching a bad motion picture.

Everything from the freaking kung Fu ninjitsu master, the freaky creatures, how she survived, the SHIELD aircraft materialising thin from the clouds. The turmoil of emotions that Peter had to go through when she was in intensive care, all the agents, the secret base, the zombie fight, how much Peter cared for her and then how he spent some time near her, held her hands pleading with all his strength for her to wake up from the slumber that she was on. Everything that Peter thought of keeping it a secret was no more constrained. She knew everything now. Why all the agents keep their existence a secret. It was all for the greater good.

The pain in Peter's head subsided as she let go of his consciousness gently now, like a gust of sweet wind that was beautiful to Peter, that he was almost thankful. Peter looked up at her, half expecting her to run away and shout at him, but she stood right there with silent tears in her eyes. Peter got up slowly as he looked at her.

MJ was sorry for the way she behaved, there was no telling required, and she knew why Peter had to go at great lengths at keeping his secret. He cared for her like any brother would, a selfless doting love that he had over her.

Before MJ could say anything, Peter spoke up.

"We have to help her. The woman does not have much time." Peter spoke to her sincerely without letting himself to succumb to any of the emotions that he had going through within him

MJ nodded at her silently as the two of them left the warehouse and disappeared in to the black night.

Peter did not have his costume on and so he had to do something to about it.

But fortunately, he had his web blasters on him and quickly strapped them to his wrists and offered to carry MJ. She did not like that, true she had her own webbing and she wanted to use that. But there was enough time to do that. Now they had to save the woman who had her life lined up if they did not reach her in time.

MJ put her arms around Peter and hoped on Peter's back as he steadied himself. Peter leaped off into the air and shot at web line to a nearby building as he moved like a black hulking silhouette into the cool moonless night.

Peter locked his conscience onto MJ as he tried to follow her using her sense as a radar.

Peter followed her senses as he swiftly travelled to the destination. It was almost half a kilometre away. Her senses were really strong enough to sense a threat that was this far away.

Then MJ spoke on Peter's ear.

"I see her, she is down below."

True to her word, there she was running wildly and the infected almost catching up to her.

Peter let go of his web as the two of them fell down head first.

Then all of a sudden, MJ shot a web from her wrist. It responded to her like moving her finger or twirling them, as though it had been in her all this time.

Peter could sense her gasp with excitement at being finally being able to shoot webs. Peter smiled at her and she at him.

 _"We need a disguise and since you don't have yours … We could try this."_ MJ spoke to Peter in his mind.

 _"What? A new idea?"_

MJ shot a web that covered her face completely leaving sufficient gap for her nose, red hair, mouth and hair. She did the same for Peter leaving his arms chest and legs intact as she did for herself. Like a silver spider outfit that was snuck and comfortable. There was no way anyway could recognise them.

Peter felt for his face as he kept falling down.

 _"Nice. A perfect cover."_ said Peter to her in her mind.

The two of them now were just a few feet away from the ground when Peter twirled in the mid-air and rolled on the ground to absorb the severe impact that would have been to his body.

Easy.

Peter turned around to look for MJ. She did the same but she was a bit shaken. Obviously the impact had done more damage to her than she expected it to. Her mouth was distorted, a slight frown upon her lips as her body struggled to absorb the impact.

Soon that discomfort in her subsided and she looked at Peter once again. She looked at her and nodded at him.

She was all right. Peter heaved a sigh of relief.

She was weaker than him physically. She could have a hoard of extra strengths and abilities than him. Her precognitive sense was way enhanced than his, the invisibility cloaking technique was unique and she could possibly be more resilient than him because the way she moved between those pipelines was a sight to behold. Like a pro ballet dancer. It looked like she was literally swaying with the wind, as if her body become one with the surrounding, like the surrounding was a part of her. This was another perk that she had. She could possibly be more agile than him but she was not as strong as him although she could be stronger than even the strongest human there was. And he was sure of that now.

Her only weakness.

She had to look out for her. This would be her first maiden take down as a vigilante.

The woman was in front of them was screaming and crying hysterically. Almost tripping on her way she ran forward at Peter and Mary Jane who were beyond recognition, MJ's web providing a very effective shroud.

"Pete take care of the lady. He is mine." hissed MJ before she took off before she could say anything else.

Peter quickly held the lady firm in his arms, right before she tripped to avoid having a bad fall. She fainted right in Peter's arm rendering him helpless. MJ was way ahead of Peter and there was no way he could aid her, not in this state. She was in a fervent state.

She leapt and ran like an antelope. She was confident enough, confident that she would tear the man apart. She wanted revenge, a score to settle from the previous time when she faced them. They broke her, disabled her and she wanted to do the same to them.

 _"MJ, please remember that they were humans beneath this monstrous façade, Please keep that in mind before you try to do anything harsh. They have been turned against their will and this would be good if you do something harsh to him"_

"What? Now you are supporting him?" cried MJ as she ran forward as she tried to figure the most gruesome way to bash him up.

 _"MJ I know you have every right to get back at him. And I would never know the pain that you had to go through but remember the greater good here. What I have been trying to achieve, no matter people might hate me but that has never made me falter from my way, my path, although I found it extremely difficult sometimes. Forge your own path of your own understanding and I know that somewhere deep inside you will always try to do the best and the right thing."_

Peter saw her now face to face with the infected. Peter entered inside MJ's mind, sliding in her consciousness ever so slightly that she would never ever notice his invasion in her mind.

Mind you, it was not exactly invading but at least it would give him some consolation. She was facing an opponent that was not human. True she had pulled up all his experiences from him but fighting but then again, it was person to person and was a completely different was altogether.

Peter was in MJ's eyes seeing the foe as he would see as though he was fighting it but thorough someone else's mind even though he was in no control of the body that he was in.

There were serious hissing and spitting made by the infected severely pissed off about missing his dinner. It lunged at her and then it started for MJ.  
Peter felt it. All her senses strengthened and powerful without any weakness, like something that had never felt before.

It was amazing.

It was exhilarating.

He saw her ducking neatly as the infected flew overhead her.

She took all her sweet time and threw a punch with everything she had into his stomach. There was a sickening crunch as the intestines and other vital organs churned and lurched under her knuckles. He screeched and screamed. The howling was a stronger than the most irritation alarm tone that could have ever been discovered. He flew straight up into the atmosphere.

By the time the infected was on his way down in to the asphalt, MJ looked at it giving it a very dirty look.

"You messed up with the wrong gal, pal" said MJ viciously.

The infected was screaming and its expression was something that he had never seen before.

Was he scared? Well this would be the first one that was scared or was it MJ? Did she do something that scared it?

MJ scared the infected with a single blow.

She was a hard candy, Peter had to accept it and then something amazing happened. Something gruesome, yet extremely deadly.

Where MJ's fingers had once been, there were claws now, webbing flowed from her wrists and accumulated on her finger tips turning it into something solid and sharp. Long fingernail claws that shone with whatever meagre light the place had. She bent pulled her hand back balling her right fist and waited for the right moment.

 _"No MJ no. Don't do it"_ screamed Peter in her head but it was way too late. It was done. Her hand flashed forward like lightning, like a long sniper bullet ready to strike its target, and then the impact. It was like plunging her hands in hands in water, so smooth was the impact, there was a tiny puncture mark where her hand had made contact.

The infected fell down unmoving and still. Its eyes completely rolled over and its tongue dangling from the corner of its mouth, yellow gooey stuff along with saliva was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

 _"You killed him didn't you?" asked Peter a bit disappointed that she had killed although he knew that she had done the right thing according to her but self-control here was the key._

MJ could hear the faint pulse throbbing on its neck. He was not dead, that was for sure.

And then it dawned upon Peter.

Okay then she did not kill the infected nor did she severely beat him up. And of course her last stupefying punch was one of a kind.

Was it some kind of a knock-out punch? A sting?

The way her fingers turned into claw like fangs. That was something very uncanny and unbecoming. Something strange and sinister. Something that he had never seen before - a venom sting punch?

Peter already knew about the various pressure points of a human and none of the points were the ones that MJ hit at. He knew that MJ did not take in information about the human physiology and certainly not about pressure points. Or else he would have felt it. He was certain about it.

A complete mystery.

A punch that could be the most graceful of all punches, the effective of all, packing enough power to knock the infected out.

Or was it a different technique. No it could not be a technique.

If not a technique then what was it?

A life force attack. An impact energy wave where all her strength would be concentrated at a single point or a poison sting so potent that it could knock an infected.

MJ finished him in just two blows.

Fast, agile, lithe, strong and God knows what techniques and powers she has had manifested in her body. A complete wild card, like combining all the qualities of a spider and adding a few extra more. MJ came rushing back to Peter.

"Did you see that? I kicked his ass." said MJ all giddied up.

"Wow, I am impressed. You were better than me I think." said Peter looking at her. This was the first time the two of them looked at each other in the webbed mask façade.

"Uugh …Peter you look like a serial killer, you webbed mask suits better on you. Let me get that for you" said MJ as she tore off the web that covered Peter's face

"Yup much better" said MJ as she help Peter tear off the remaining web of his body. And as for MJ all the web fell off her body like they only abided her likes and dislikes.

Peter had nothing to say. This had taken an interesting turn in events.

MJ displayed superior strengths than Peter and not to say that she had a series of her new found powers. Peter had never thoughts of such abilities like hers to have been manifested and that to a girl like MJ. Was it a coincidence? Was it something else? All these events was it a part of something big? Would it culminate into something extraordinary? Did fate have something have something in store for all of them? They were all about to find out.

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Hope I have been able to satisfy you. MJ would have powers and as you have guessed the difference in her powers would be like a body operating on different frequencies.  
I got that idea from the manga One Piece. The part where Chopper invents the rumble ball that it alters the frequency of his devil fruit powers. I hope I have made everything sensible to you. And I have tried to match the powers of MJ with Silk (Cindy Moon) and a bit of the modern spiderman.

If I get anything wrong please feel free to mention it. PM or post a review.

And as for Gwen she would do something big I assure you but not right now. Her time would come.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note - I have been very busy lately and hence my inability to write the next chapter took me a long time. Any way I would like to wish a very happy belated merry Christmas and an advanced Happy New Year to all my fellow readers and authors out there. Have a blast and party hard. ;)

And once again, I would never stop thanking my readers who had been such a support to me - kindleflame5, Winterrain36, Highlander348, Plasma57, Nico2883, Ravenmore45, guest reader Loana and all of you likewise.

Reviews are inspire me. They are like a sunflowers looking at the Sun (that is you people) which invigorates them. And as usual, suggestions are welcome, positive, negative alike. J

As usual, I don't own any character of Spiderman or any characters of Marvel.

Chapter 11

It was late at night and Peter looked at her, stared deep into those vast cerulean eyes of her, the colour of the endless ocean that siphoned away all his sorrows. He seemed to have completely lost himself in her. All though it seemed to be very difficult for him, all these pent up frustrations, his constant clobbering with the people and now with MJ to pile his stress.

Peter told her of the psychic link, the bond that they now shared, the blood transfusion. He explained her how exactly things had started to pan out. How he helped her control the powers, powers that had slowly manifested in her like a rising tide, an untamed tide with no one to tender. Peter could not help but notice the slight uneasiness in her voice, now that he had to spend all alone time with her for her training. He did not want her thinking something else and for nor the conversation seems to have headed that very way.

And again MJ on the other hand was a bit too difficult. To handle her was like playing with feral wild fire. How she took everything all, everything for granted.

But still he pulled on, in spite of all that.

There was nothing left for Peter to hide form MJ or keep anything a secret from her other than that sometimes even MJ joined them during their private moments thus completely ruining the moment. Peter knew that this was inevitable.

It was not that he did not like her to be around but MJ really did not care about his feelings anymore, she stopped hanging out with Harry now that the weirdness she felt when she was around her, the same feeling that Peter had once felt the first time when the two of them met him the first time.

She related everything to him and for that he was glad and with nothing else better to do, she kept barging in on them.

Gwen was of course felt a bit unwanted with nothing to do and sometimes, she would gawk at the two of them, sometimes even fantasizing, the relationship that they shared how she wished she was the one in Peter's head not her.

One look at Gwen and Peter could tell that she was sad and she wanted attention, some lone time and he wanted that too.

As soon as MJ left the two of them, Peter promised to make it up to her, knowing that it would be very difficult to do so

Gwen had nothing to do. She looked at Peter and started to wonder, the point in this entire relationship. Now that MJ had become his partner in crime, she felt more vulnerable in the relationship that they shared.

And just because Gwen felt guilty although she understood what was at stake here, she could see the reason and as for Peter he was almost hopeless, he had a lot of people to deal with right now. MJ's regular training and her apparent head splitting aches that Peter shared, was something she never approved off.

When she lost herself, he was terrified of something, he was scared, like a siren that would blow off from his head any second, should she would ever loose her sanity.

And this had happened for with them for exactly the third time, MJ barging right in the middle, either just messing with his head or just poking the two of them around. Peter found this to be very difficult.

Gwen knew Peter too well, he would never let all these feelings cloud his thoughts. He was too sensible for all of that. Gwen of course, she pretended to chill, leave all of everything aside and pretend like this was nothing but this really bothered her, Peter could tell that.

He knew that Gwen was right in her own way. It was just that she was a bit off, with everything happening, not being there for him, he knew that she wanted to make herself useful, involve herself a bit around, help him, aid him and in a way somehow be a bigger part of his life and influence it in a big way. Believe it or not, things did turn out the way he expected it to be.

Peter always looked out for Gwen, something to hold on to when he lost all his resolve, all his strength, melting away like butter, it was Gwen who helped him hold on to it. And Peter wanted to be with her too. He just wanted to make it good for all of them. The three of them.

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It was a regular day at school.

J. Jonah Jameson's face was all over the news, as usual. His constant bickering against the spider-man never ceased even for a second. He ignored that freak right then and there. It was useless.

But something what he said caught his attention.

"That spider menace has become a menace more than I had expected him to turn out to be. He has been spawning up new friends and this time it is a girl with flaming red hair. Could be his relative or even his … or you know what just forget about him. What is he planning to do now? Trying to spawn an army of super humans? He wants to take over New York? We have already had a similar incident and things did not go well as expected. New York had already be raged and plundered and I don't think city needs to suffer any longer…."

Right there, Peter lost his interest and there was back to the same class, same boring lectures.

His classes ended after an excruciating span of six lengthy hours. Peter stood in front of his locker and rummaged through the mess inside.

"Hey Parker, whatcha planning to do tonight or will it be a girls night." retorted Flash Thompson as his friends high fived him.

Gwen came right in and grabbed Peter's shaking hand. Oh how he wished, just once, just once could lay his hands his hands on him.

Gwen pulled Peter's face close to her and she said in a serious and yet in a threatening tone.

"Pete, look at me. Just look at me"

Peter looked into her, gazed into her, he saw calmness, hung unto that, closed his eyes and placed his fingers on her shoulder and lightly touched it ever lightly not wanting to let it slip by as rage was just edging itself on the verge of taking over him completely.

"Oh or are you still gonna suckle on your momma? Oh I am sorry she and your dad abandoned you didn't they? Or maybe they found death to be more rewarding than to raise you."

He forced his eyes shut, tears threatening to erupt any moment now. He mind seethed with rage. Gwen was sad, there was nothing she could say anymore. Her hands were sweaty. She could sense the obvious tension that was going through him.

She spoke softly to him.

"He is not worth it. You don't have to taint your hands by going on him."

A punch would silence him for good, just a smack would immobilize him for life.

It was like his anger had radiated onto someone and someone who deeply cared for him inside.

A loud smack, a sudden scream that caught everyone by surprise. There wasn't any bickering all of looked at a particular someone. Some had their jaws hanging wide open hardly believing their open wide eyes.

MJ was almost half the size if of Flash and there she was holding his arm at a very awkward angle.

Flash was crying out. Obvious of the excruciating pain that as being inflicted upon him now. His arm vein was bulging out along the contours of his well-toned gym body.

He gritted his teeth, saliva flew out of his lips that showed anger and humiliation. And everyone was stunned to see MJ holding him and pinning him to the ground helpless. His face touched the floor. One of his eyes were closed and the other danced around madly.

MJ's eyelids were partially closed. It was a perfect lockup. A tiny twitch of her hand further to the left would have dislocated his arm for sure. MJ sat on top of him. His stomach down.

A perfect submission move.

"You are gonna apologise him, you cheap piece of shit." said MJ as coolly as possible. This somehow elevated that very effect.

Gave her a sense of superiority. Few of them broke into sudden smiles and some of them laughed at the scene. A scene that none would have ever imagined to see in their school life.

"Mary Jane kicks Flash's ass."

This was going to be an epic cover story in the school news article.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter waited for MJ. He decided to take her alone. There was no use in ignoring her and running from her. That would make things worse. Tonight his target was sync up with his spider sense and trace the spider tracer. He only hoped that he still did not notice the sensor that he had implanted. Things would get difficult then, they might send him on a wild goose chase. And then everything would be spoiled. This was the only solid lead that he had and he wanted to go full out.

In the dark folds of the night sky, he could see her. Swinging gracefully, building to building. She neared him. She gasped with shock. He started to blush so bad that he felt that his mask would melt right off his face. He had never imagined her to dress so scantily … she looked like a time bomb.

Her face had the same mask like his but with a lot more black in it. Her hair was let loose and her mouth remained uncovered, the pout in her lips was … delicious.

That would be the only word on Peter's mind.

And as for her body she wore tights, her breasts were noticeably shapely and her torso showed a lot of skin, much against his comfort level and she had the same footwear like his, snuck and tight fitting around the shapely legs of her. Her stomach lay bare, muscles taut and firm.

Webs erupted from her wrists like a jet of silvery fluid having an extremely high tension so that that the molecules would never separate from each other. She landed right next to him on all her fours and Peter took a few steps away from her, on instinct.

The spandex that she was wearing looked absolutely smouldering. A mixture of blue, red and black, all of them webbed like the costume on his own.

She was dashing.

 _You should have taken up modelling, you are way too hot. All those curves would go to waste._ Thought Peter.

"Why, thank you tiger. I guess I look good in these, don't I?"

MJ moved her left hip a little and rested her right hand on her right hip pushing it slightly away towards her left. Swaying almost taunting him.

Ah, Fuck. This was the last thing that he had been expecting.

He stood for Gwen. He held on to that thought.

Peter would never get provoked. He had get his shit together.

No matter how much he got provoked by her, no matter how hard he found to let it go.

"MJ we need to get going, the tracer that I had planted on one of them is somewhere nearby, I can feel it."

Peter looked at the tumble down place that was just below him.

No sign of anyone nearby.

This was good. This would reduce collateral damage.

"Okay then, let's get going."

The two of them leapt down into the black dark, towards the faint distant chrome yellow light.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There could have been nothing more demeaning and monstrous to the way the people were chained right before his eyes.

It was a small scale laboratory that looked high end.

Vile experimentation on subject humans, more of those monstrous people, injecting some kind of a yellow serum into all of them.

Their bodies had started to develop cracks on so many places, like that of a molten and solidifying lava. The veins in their bodies glowed red. There all kinds of people in there.

Women, men.

The people were in obvious agony, their faces were contorted. Their facial expressions were strained, eyebrows knitted close.

There were scientists working in their lab coats, injecting some kind of transparent fluid. Peter did not need an expert to figure that out, all of this was seriously wrong and of course illegal.

There were three rooms in total.

The first room held those insane monstrosities of nature that they had faced previously, like a bunch of zombies, they were simple gross. The people of the second room seemed to have some sort of individual logical reasoning capabilities like the one he had placed his tracer on, a fully functioning nervous system and their ability to control a herd of those disgusting men. And on the final room, obviously those were the more advanced type. Like a part of some bigger programme and in the centre of the room, there was a small Asian looking woman.

She was frail and looked old. Folds of wrinkled skin hung loose from her fore head, chin, cheek and neck. She was clad in a kimono, with flowery pattern, her hair pulled together in a bun, a chopstick holding the plaits of her silvery tresses. Her eyes partially opened up to reveal a jaundiced eyes, her cornea was barely visible. She looked like some poor lost soul.

She was the key to this operation.

At her side there were two big burly men who walked beside her, matching her small strides with that of their gigantic ones. As she crossed the third room, the scientists who were working immediately left whatever they had been working on and kneeled before her.

Peter and MJ sat on the rusted tainted steel roof that somehow managed to hold the place down together. There was a small opening, a hatch.

"Lets slip by that hatch"

Peter and MJ crawled up quietly by the old warehouse. The hatch directly led them to the first room of the old warehouse, which housed the lunatics. They had to make way to the third room.

The room which held answers. The old lady knew everything that was going on.

As the two of them continued to crawl through that way, once or twice, the infected would suddenly look up and sniff the rotten air.

Peter knew that a few of them probably would have sensed them by their smell. During their previous encounters he knew that they had an acute olfactory receptors that helped them point out hidden enemies and apart from that, they could transfer the smell through their heads like some raw data. So he had to assume that everyone knows about them He looked at them, praying that they would never find them.

Seeing one of them behave rather abnormally the first one, Peter stiffened. One of the infected became alert, the rest began to follow his lead. Three more of them joined him and pretty soon, they were howling for no apparent reason. Looking frantically here and there, like they knew something was wrong.

Right then, one of them looked up and gazed directly at them.

Peter stifled.

Now is the not the time to be stuck up here, banging chests with these weirdoes.

He waited for some time.

Their gazes were as hollowed and empty. They kept staring, the mouth contorted like they knew something was not right.

For some reason no one was able to figure what went wrong.

And as for Peter he himself was puzzled. They were staring at him violently, but they were vacant for some reason.

Peter looked at MJ. He could see her distorted facial featured as though she was focussing violently hard on something. He saw MJ's web stuck to his left wrist. He looked at it. He saw how the miniature small web strands had already started to root from the parent web that and spread throughout his left arm spreading in a webbed fashion encasing his body completely.

The web shimmered as it caught the faint yellow light.

The idea struck him. This level of concentration, it could mean only one thing, she was trying to block both of their presence using her cloaking technique and it looked like it was working. They could somehow pull this through.

Peter was stunned. This is it.

They could slowly slip by with making themselves visible in front of them.

Seeing her concentrate so hard, Peter doubted if he could ever move.

Her eyes were closed, small rivers of sweat had started to develop on her face. She could not loose concentration.

She had to keep this up no matter how hard it was.

Peter reached for her mind.

 _"MJ, whatever it is keep it up. I will carry you."_

She did not ever move her head.

Peter tore the strands that entwined his hands careful that none of them fell.

He crawled up to her and slowly picked her up. Not wanting any change in her concentration.

He found it a bit difficult. The awkward position that she was already in.

Peter picked her up slowly and softly. Made her shift her weight on his shoulder. He urged her, guided her so that she would shift her weight on his back. Her legs crossed like an 'x' over his stomach, he guided her hands around his neck.

She hung behind him like a spider's mate. Her touch made him shiver. Not that she was cold, it was just her touch and something was different about it. Something good.

He was a boy. MJ was a girl. She was attractive in her own way, she was strong outspoken and she always challenged Peter. The complete opposite.

Gwen saw the best in him. She like him. He liked her. That was that.

But this was again something else entirely.

He quietly crawled through the cracked ceiling. Cobwebs hung, the ceiling had a mouldy musty bad smell.

The two of them crawled their way through small a vent that connected the three rooms. They looked like some sort of overgrown mutated arachnids fornicating their way.

Anyway, it looked hilarious.

They reached the next room, it was the same as before, but they were much fewer in number and the looked more vicious. The one with the spider tracer was right there at the corner, with a bloody club in his right wrist. One of them had a baseball bat, the other had an oversized wrench while the other had adjustable spanners.

MJ groaned all of a sudden.

She was losing it. The stress was proving to be too much for her. She held on to Peter tightly, wrapped her legs around him trying to find another source of focus.

Peter clutched her hand tightly trying to inspirit her.

But it was of no use.

She was shaking badly. She would break her concentration any second now. Peter quickened his pace. If they could they could at least move to the third room without any detection, it would be worth something at least. Peter almost started to run in across the ceiling, stooped over, trying his best to cross the room without their detection.

Her groaning had started to become more frequent and then snap.

The shield around them untangled on its own, like pulling the small lace on a shoe knot that would completely untangles it.

MJ held on to Peter in the nick of time right, her arms wrapped up around his neck as her legs started to dangle once again into the air.

That was it.

A few faces shot up, looked at them. Their quizzical faces turned and twisted into façades of contempt. They howled violently at the two of them.

They howled menacingly and threw their weapons with astounding accuracy.

Peter pulled MJ closer to him and ran across the walls. She hung on him for dear support.

Peter scaled the walls fast and found another opening that apparently led them to the next room but that was completely grilled up.

 _"Peter throw me on to that vent"_

MJ's thought was strong and clear. It did not hide a single tinge of hesitation like, she was already into it.

Peter did not want to indulge any doubt, he responded to her and threw her to the grill that sealed their opening with tremendous strength.

MJ flew in, her feet gliding in, her red hair like a tangled mess of red wave that was a stark contrast to the pale coloured ceiling.

MJ hit the bolted grill that covered the exit and hit it with all her strength. The grill rattled loud and bent under the extreme force. It loosened the bolts that remained attached to the mouth of the entrance. MJ leaped off the entrance in one giant leap and pulled the loose grill with a web that erupted from the tips of her finger like a giant silk web. The web encased the grill and she pulled it apart fully utilizing the remaining inertia force that she remained in her horizontal jump position.

It was enough to shatter the grill away from its hinges.

 _"Awesome, MJ."_

Peter who was already in mid-air zip lined his way and catch MJ by her hip and pulled her close to him.

Peter, quickly found her wrapped around his neck, her legs wrapped around him, snaked in some very lewd position that seemed like two lovers.

There was no time to be distracted.

Peter could feel the sudden elevation in his heart beat, hammering against his heart like a gong.

The force with which he carried himself forward was enough to propel himself through the vent. He almost flew and reached the next room.

Right at the centre, there was that frail looking old woman, the huge guards flanking the two sides.

These people were way different from the rest of the monsters that he had taken down so far. They looked far fiercer and there was not a single hint of reason in those of theirs. It looked like they were made to fight, be bodyguards and protect someone with their lives.

Peter had to test it.

He knew they had to be strong so he had to go all out. He could not hold back anymore.

 _"Mary Jane, we have to get them, there is absolutely no way, I am letting all of this go."_

 _"You are right Pete. These experimentation are monstrous."_ MJ almost belched with contempt.

 _"You are right. Lets do this."_

MJ leaped off Peter's clutches and the two of them fell down, headed straight to the enraged oversized bodyguards of hers.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Both of them flew through the air with terrifying speed, their springy bodies never faltering to the extremities that they were pushing themselves to.

They were quick they were fast, they were strong but no exactly strong enough to counter the massive strengths of the giants' ridiculous strengths.

The giants had already blocked their view of the frail looking woman and they were looked at the two of them as they flew in through the air.

The two of them sensing the change in atmosphere charged at them. The scientist who were there in the room with them took off along with the frail little woman leaving the two of them.

The two giants came for both MJ and Peter.

Peter dodged the two of those continuous punches and leaped off into the air.

 _"They are strong, looks like the have been manipulated by the same drug, but they would never catch us with such slow footing. MJ use that to your advantage."_

 _"Oh, you think I have not noticed that."_ She chuckled a half-hearted one.

She was taking this seriously.

Good.

Now he could focus on his as well.

The strange rumble that he felt was undeniable.

But it was not going to be life threatening, his spider sense remained dormant.

 _"Peter be ready, those freaks would be all over here in a minute."_

Peter already what she was talking about.

The previous room that they had been had been completely alert and by now they had been amassing numbers to crumble the two of them.

Already Peter knew that he was a superior to them, but they were too many of them. MJ is quick and fast but it would be difficult for her if all of them started a chain attack.

It would be handy if he would get some reinforcements.

The invisi-watch.

The watch that Agent Fitz gave him, as a token of the brief tine he shared with the Agent Coulson and his team.

That was the sudden reply, his mind of his whipped up.

 _"Yes Peter. Use that watch of yours. Lets hope that SHIELD shows up on time."_

She was right. SHIELD had sufficient resources, man power to aid them. With their help, they could have the upper hand.

Well, none of that mattered anyway. The only thing that mattered now is that their showing up on time.

Peter felt for the soft warm metal cusp around his wrists and activated like a homing signal just like the way, he was supposed to.

The tiny beep rang throughout the watch as the homing signal got activated.

Peter had to be ready, the new crowd of insanity had just started.

Peter just hoped that he had not run into a slaughter house.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peter bent down and parried the punch. It was like hitting a brick of walls, not that it made much difference to him, but the pain was piercing. Peter took a few steps away from him and leaped a few spaces behind, shaking his right wrists. He was hurt a little.

 _"Damn, I hate them."_

He looked away to see what exactly was MJ up to.

She was dodging, leaping and tried to throw him off guard, trying to freeze them with her stinging punch. It was of no use.

She could only throw them on his stomach, could not reach a level above that and that was a complete bugger.

It was of no use.

"What are looking at, boy? Haven't you learnt never to look away from who you are fighting?"

Peter's spider sense blared and he made a back flip in the nick of time to avoid the deadly punch. There was a crashing sound as his football sized fist connected with the column, that Peter once stood behind.

There was a gaping hole at the point where his fist made contact. Peter eyes bulged.

There was no way, he could face this monster head on.

He had to find a way.

God knows, how he parried the monster's attack but next time, he had to be absolutely sure that he avoided punching him at all.

He had to have a weakness.

 _._

 _Think Parker. Think._

And he had to think fast, the rumbling beneath his feet grew stronger every millisecond. They would crash open the door any second by now.

 _What about his neck, I could inflict serious damage right there?_

And anyway, he was way past any available options right now.

For him pressure points were a hoax. He did not have any.

Peter dodges, twisted and turned and ultimately he found the opening he was looking for. The neck was empty like a vulnerable child.

The neck region is a common weakness of every living being. This had to work.

Peter was standing behind the 7 foot giant.

He leaped off and when he was in range, he threw a kick at him so powerful that would shatter any man's femur undoubtedly.

The layers of fat under in his neck hobbled with the extreme pressure that he was inflicted upon.

His roar was defiant. He cried out loud.

That kick on his neck got him pretty good. He was stamping around with one hand trying to soothe the searing pain and the other hand was like a huge pan that he was winging around trying to swat him away. He was not thinking properly and that was probably a huge disadvantage for him.

Peter put some distance between the two of them.

 _"MJ try to aim for his neck. They seem to be vulnerable there."_ Peter spoke to MJ using the psychic link that they both shared.

 _"Humph."_

MJ grunted as the giant pushed her around. She was getting more and more tired rather impatient by now but sooner or later she would have stone the giant.

She was trying her best.

She leapt around, her petite figure syncing dangerously in between the small minor small spaces the giant left around.

She screamed with rage as she launched a flurry of blows on the blubber behind the giant's neck.

It looked like she was punching a sandbag.

Her punches were in quick succession that startled the giant.

His eyes were bloodshot and were vacant.

The giant crashed down to the floor, the eye balls completely rolled over, the whites of his eyes peeking out from his eyelids gave a ghastly appearance, to his already oversized body and massive structure.

MJ landed softly beside the stoned giant and was sucking in huge amounts of air.

She looked at Peter and smiled, giving him a thumbs up.

Peter smiled.

She did it.

The oversized man in front of him was still roaring with pain and approached Peter with caution.

He looked really pissed off right now.

He walked and jogged briskly towards him with his arm raised, his fingers mimicking that of a talon's as though he would grab him and tear him apart, if he could ever get his hands on him.

Peter webbed his outstretched hands and leaped above the giant pulling his arms over his head.

He was vicious and fast and there was absolutely no way, the giant could fathom what was going on, his brain already dazed by the fatal blow that Peter had delivered behind the neck.

Peter landed behind the giant and pulled yanked the web that was connected to his arm with all his might.

The giant lost his grip. He slipped.

.

He fell down head first, the loud crash of the huge head with the concrete flooring that followed was somewhat a bit of a relief.

He was gone.

Peter heaved a sigh of relief.

 _"Peter they are here."_

MJ screamed as she rushed towards the bolted entrance.

Peter put on a stance. He was ready.

The door broke and almost flew apart from its hinges.

The crowd of infected poured into the room.

Peter had to be ready for what was about to come.

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This chapter is a short one compared to the the others that I have written so far. And I hope I have been able to satisfy you with MJ's costume. Something sexy and dark. And a real breath taker for Peter.

In my next chapter I would like whip up more action scenes as it would be the end the Steel Serpent and spawn something even bigger on which I would throw hints in the next two chapters. But it would basically have the eternal fight between Steel Serpent and Iron Fist of course with some help from our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note - "Someday I will learn to love these wounds still fresh from the red hot blade of your words." A Bleach quote that was very stubborn to leave to leave my head so I had to write it down.

Anyway I was very busy this time. I am terribly sorry and I think maybe from now on I might be able to update the story now. My exams are finally over. Hurrah!

kindleflame5, Winterrain36, Highlander348, Plasma57, Nico2883, Ravenmore45, guest reader Loana and all of you likewise, I could never thank you enough for the dear support that you have given me. And of course the pile of ideas that I had received from Ravenmore45 and the constant support I got from Highlander348, Nico2883, I could never thank you. It implies for all of you supporting me throughout. :)

Please rate and review cause reviews fuel and inspire me. They give me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I get one. They are the most positive aspect that keeps me going on and on. Anything bad or anything worse in my story, I am all ears. PMs and reviews, anything at all.

And as usual, I don't own any characters of Spiderman or any of Marvel and neither do I want to make a profit out of it.

Okay then. Enjoy …

…..

The crowd of infected were shaking their heads, the mindless beings dazed and confused but they were sure of their target now.

Their jaws hung open, the darkness inside their mouth was ghastly, like an abyss, an infinite pit of pain.

There almost around thirty that came pouring inside, pushing and pulling each other so that they were the ones who would enter the room first.

More of them kept piling, some of them were so desperate that they had even began to ran off over each other, their arms outstretched and flailing, like the two of them were some prized possessions. Peter and MJ hurried forward to face them head on.

They were confident. Their minds were again completely one joined to form one single mind.

The two of them jumped into the herd of the mindless beings. They were a dynamic duo, two perfect lethal fighting weapon welded into a single ultimate marauder's blade against an enemy that was this strong which almost seemed other worldly. They looked like, as if they were at the pinnacle of fighting, both of them with enhanced super strengths and their unrivalled fighting spirit, body and mind. There was absolutely no doubt about it.

And the most jaw dropping sight was when the two of them would team up together. They looked like one giant organism, webbing and at times stunning them with unimaginable voltage shocks (courtesy to Agent Leo Fitz and they belt that he now carries.)

The best part was the belt that he now carries. It has been a constant companion of his ever since, helping him store extra web pellets, spider tracers, special webbed up cartridges and hoards of other knick knacks that might one day come in handy.

MJ on the other hand was zapping and tossing them around like they were bags of sand bags that was undesirable filling up and occupying unwanted space. She was strong when she needed to be, but never as strong as Peter. Peter as times even picked up two infected with his bare hands and then toss them around like they were play things.

In this fight there was something else that was driving him. He had never fought this efficiently before. Every time for Peter, it was like playing a three dimensional moving picture game, but this time, it was him who was tossing and turning things around ferociously. For some reason, it seemed that everything was less weighted, like moving on plane which had been dimensionally altered, he was having the time of his life.

This was fun.

MJ was enjoying her fight as well. Their synapses firing at insane levels. Some time, Peter would dodge deliberately to face the other opponent that takes stand before them. MJ would sweep right from somewhere up and slap them aside like they were worthless beings wanting to be beat up real bad and the two of them never ceased to comply their wishes. Sometimes, Peter would web a few of them for MJ to find and finish them up. She would use her stinger or sometimes beat them up in a continuous flurry of punches leaving them broken.

It was almost fun like but the feeling was somehow short lived.

The infected kept pouring into the already stuffed room. It looked like a room that is meant for only three people but people would continuously pour inside that was already pinned and filled with bodies. The place looked outrageously dirty, blood, gore and slime stuck to the walls.

Peter felt for his the watch that lay camouflaged, strapped with his wrists. He felt for the minute button that protruded from the side of his watch.

 _"Should I call for backup?" Peter mused within his own thoughts._

 _"Peter I think it would be the right choice. You never what could befall us. Having extra helping hands is what I personally would prefer."_

MJ was right. Backup would always come in handy and they never knew what would happen if fate ever decided to play against their odds.

Peter pressed the homing signal. The watch glowed for a second as its GPS activated.

It would be a matter of minutes before SHIELD showed up and it would be better if the two of them would make their jobs easier.

The dynamic duo charged forward leaving behind broken, pale and injured bodies and they sure took their time. The way they moved was like a sewing needle and how easily they punctured through the fabric of infected monsters.

Maybe, they themselves could clear up the entire zombie invasion in a night. At least Peter was sure of that. Something must have triggered in him, something was fuelling him beyond his limit. Not that he got tired easily, but they was not even the slightest stupefaction in him and he could say the same for MJ. They were surpassing themselves.

At the corner of the room, there were exactly five test subject who were being infected with an extrimis solution. Their faces were already contorted due to the excruciating pain that was inflicted upon them due to the passing of the miraculous poison in their system.

Peter had to help them but his hands were already full.

 _"MJ we have to take care of those people. They seem to be in agony."_

 _"Shit, I had almost forgot about. What do we do?"_

 _"I could go and try to help them, but could you handle them on your own? Your load will be doubled."_

 _"Are you kidding me? I can handle this."_

 _"You sure?"_

 _"Just go on and then I would give them a piece of me."_

Peter kicked the last on with all his might that sent him airborne across the floor such that MJ would be near them now, like ten pin bowling. The person that Peter hit was like a bowling ball and the herd that he hit were like bowling pins, disrupting their logic less thoughts. Collateral damage could never get better than this.

And since MJ was already near the herd, they chose to fight her instead of him.

"That's right come to momma and I will give you disciplinary lessons."

He voice was dripping with malice. No wonder she was all amped up. She leapt on the remaining infected like a ferocious lethal spinning top.

Peter left her and headed where the people were tied up.

He was sure she could handle herself.

Peter neared them. They were in agony. He could see why. The extrimis concoction was like venom that was an obvious discomfort to them. Peter could clearly see where the extrimis was running in their system. The veins, arteries throughout the body had the same amber hue that set them apart from rest of the flesh and blood.

One of them had suddenly turned red and gold all of a sudden.

He cried out in excruciating pain. His face had already started to peel off now as new skin started to reform at an exponential rate.

Instant healing.

But something was wrong. There were large cracks that had started to form in a linear fashion that extended through his neck and spread through his face like a glass that was on the verge of being completely shattering.

This was bad. The man was emitting a lot of heat, temperature was going through the roof, like he was gonna explode, a live wire, that would short any moment now.

Peter took a few step behind, if he was gonna explode, he would well be away from the radius of impact. There nothing good about getting second or third degree burns.

Your skin starts to bubble and melt off your muscles, thereby partially revealing the never endings. And after that, you become more sensitive than ever. He was already sensitive and he had seen people with burns. The amount of screaming that they did was not at all pleasant and Peter did not have even the slightest interest to be one of them. Aunt May was already worried and she would be sick with worry. Nothing was worth all the trouble that he might later have to go through. The unanswerable questions that he would have to whip up stories for …

Not good at all.

And most importantly of all MJ was with him and even in God's most uncherished dreams he could never let anything happen to her. He was guilty enough of himself for failing her, the secret that she now had to bear with him.

Nothing was clear to him at times. Sometimes all of this, his parents leaving him with his uncle and aunt, turning out to be a fantastic dork in his school days which he still is, the fated school field trip that he hated so much, only if it had not been Dr Connors, nothing would have happened, no lizard, no spider man but everyone would have been safe, another less mutant to be running around in this world. But it had to go that way. Like his fate was sealed, they moment he saw Gwen or was it his inquisitive nature that drove him inside Oscorp, impersonating one of the interns, was it all worth?

The cadence of his tortured consciousness was eating him up.

Peter had started to his see run behind, the man was in agonizing pain. But Peter was saving as many people he could, he had to and judging the amount of temperature, he did not require a thermometer to tell him that whatever it was, it was way more than the normal, almost burning now. His skin had started to blacken and disintegrate by the unnatural amounts of heat that was being emitted by him. Peter turned and looked at the rest, some of them were already limp, looked lifeless as the potion tried its best to heal them up but none of them had the strange reaction that he was seeing in him.

All of them were probably gone. They did not have a heartbeat, there was no way even one of them would actually survive.

But now, he had to distant himself from the inevitable that was about to happen. He took one last look at the man.

He was gone.

His body slowly crumbled and turned to dust. Peter looked at his eyes, they had become smouldering red and it was even hard to say that this man actually had life in him. All that remained in his place was giant real living doll.

All of it was futile. And now it is just that he looked like a failed version of a sculpted masterpiece by someone great. Peter felt bad for them now. They were held against their wish. There was nothing consenting over here, all of this was a show. Although Peter knew of the greater picture. It had to do something with the fiery fist.

And then it seemed like it was his enemy causing all of this, partaking in this mischief, the Big Bad Ass fighter of the mystical city, his villain, who had commitment issues. For him it was one and the same.

It had really been quite some time since the last time when he had actually seen him. It seemed like the man had completely vanished straight from of the face of earth. It was all very confusing.

He touched the lifeless blackened face of the man that was absolutely still now.

 _God knows what kind of poison this extrimis is. But I hope he is in a better place now._

Peter could feel a building sympathy in his chest. He touched the man lifeless face.

His touch was light enough now, but the slightest touch was enough. The place where he had touched, his face crumbled to dust. The dust seeped through his fingers.

There were slight occasional wisps of fire that erupted from the crumbling corpse.

Peter was horrified. This was beyond his explanation. It seemed like the man had completely been fried and defaced. Peter had seen burnt bodies but this was a severe case of incineration.

Peter was shaken. He trembled as the body now lay in a small heap of ash, his clothes plopped down on the remains of his body thereby making a large cloud of ash erupt out.

This was too sick, too sick.

He turned his head away from the mess that was left behind. MJ was still fighting for the infected. She was getting tired from all the fighting, Peter knew that never in her life she had exerted herself this long.

xxxxxxxx

The sound of a hovering aircraft tore through the dicey atmosphere, it seemed like its powerful blades was sweeping the entire warehouse, as if rejecting whatever that was going on there. The powerful twin jet engines were like the presence of a much superior force that had been looking at them.

Peter rushed forward to help MJ. She had not experienced continuous fighting like he had had.

It was he who had finally managed to fend off the Lizard who was rampaging throughout New York. She had to learn a lot before she could come on to his league. And anyway, he wanted to save the people on his own that he never thought that he would be the one who would be taking charge of the people that he was concerned about the most. This was not justifiable in his opinion, he should have taken the physical part and should have let MJ handle the saving part.

Peter let it go as he rushed towards to aid MJ. She might have been to subdue the remaining hundred or so who were beside her. The pile of bodies beside her was impressive.

Peter rushed to her and leaped on top of one of the infected. The infected howled at him and tried to grope him in the air. Peter balanced himself on the palms of his hands, clutching him by the hair in his head as Peter's legs moved straight up, perfect hand stand.

Peter twisted his arms as far, it would allow him to do so. The crunch was sickening as its head made a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Peter leaped himself off the lifeless body and landed softy on the floor on all his fours. He leaped up once again. He had to draw the crowd on to himself. MJ loosing strength, there were nasty bruises on her skin, particularly the gash along the length of her thigh looked deep. But still she continued to fight with the same vigour with which that she had fought previously.

Peter shot web lines on the nearby equipment and tables that were broken and strewed around. The web completely encased them.

 _"Mary Jane, wait for me. When I tell to duck, leap off or just run away right from there. It would be good if you are away from what I am about to do."_

 _"Humph, right."_ MJ grunted. The fight had severely sapped her strengths and it was time for Peter lend her some breathing space. Peter moved forward and wrapped his wrists around the web line and started to move them around. The jagged ends at the end could be potentially life threatening.

"MJ, now." Peter screamed out loud as he approached the rest of them. He moved the hundred pound debris around like a battered and a broken weapon. MJ zip lined herself to the ceiling as she watched from above.

Peter put on more power as he increased the speed of the moving debris as. He approached to rest of them. The debris made contact with them and the crushing and crunching sounds were obnoxious, still he did not stop, he put on even more power. The sling had no intention of slowing down.

The gravity, centrifugal and inertia had been exponentially improved the arc of destruction that he had created. He kept moving forward, completely blind but he was sure of the general direction that he was going through and that was when he kept moving forward.

He went round and round, like a spinning top obliterating everything that was on his way, he was unstoppable.

Finally he stopped, he slowed down gradually and took a look around, a good hard look.

There was no one left standing, a few of them were staggering but most of them were gone. Either knocked out or they were in a very critical state. Limbs missing or dirty black blood had made a mess around. He let go of the web that he had been holding.

He looked up. MJ gave him a thumbs up.

All was good.

SHIELD showed up right then. Agent Coulson lead the swat team, Agents May and Ward flanked him from the side. Troopers, almost fifty of them showed up. The combed the entire place, searched every nook and corner, like some kind of protocol that they had to follow.

All very intricate and meticulous.

Perfect without flaws, a well-disciplined team, each one of them giving silent hand signals and taking hold of the remaining infected and subduing the few that were moving.

Peter could not help but marvel at the way they did things. This was not his first time but every time, he looked at them, it felt like he was seeing something else.

Every single time.

The leader of the squad reported Agent Coulson.

"Sir, the area is secure, sir." His voice was strong, devoid of any fear or recklessness whatsoever.

"Good going gentlemen. Nevertheless, I would like you all to keep your guard and make another routine check for a few block radius."

"Got it sir." The soldier quick marched back to his troops.

The soldier turned and barked orders to another small group of soldiers and they stated to disperse just like Agent Coulson had said.

MJ dropped beside him Peter and looked at them, they were busy like bees, professional and completely ordered.

It was even a pleasure to watch them go around.

Agent Coulson walked to him briskly. He had the same small lopsided smile upon his mouth.

He folded his hands as he looked at him.

"I see you have held on to your ground. And I really appreciate of you calling on to us. And for that I would let on to you what we have learnt this far. I don't know if you have heard of this but there was this thing about something weird going on a few blocks away. I thought you had noticed, with all your enhanced senses and all…"

Agent Coulson trailed off.

"I did not feel anything that had been going on anywhere, the two of us had our hand full already."

"Oh so this is your friend then. So she inherited similar powers, like yours, I assume?" Agent Coulson looked at Mary Jane with judging eyes.

"Right then, I see you have made our job a hell lot of easier now, but just try to be sure no to make too much of collateral damages the next time, you decide to stop them."

But before Peter could speak to defend MJ blurted, "Hey, Mr AC I know what you have been doing, the both of us had just made your jobs a hell lot easier and to get results, you always have to let go of something to achieve something and I had to learnt it the hard way."

MJ looked Peter. Peter knew what she was thinking off. It felt like the two of them shared the same emotions. This time Peter was pissed at people trying to mend his own way, and MJ was the source of release. SHIELD did not see the good that he sought finding fault within him was they saw.

During intense emotions it was always both their minds were one and this time, she felt the terrible loss that Peter felt, the void that had left a huge hole in his heart, the first time when he had come to know of the terrible news about his Uncle Ben. It was all the same for her too.

Peter looked away from the two of them. He looked at the BUS that stood a distant.

As gorgeous as ever.

Agents May and Ward nodded towards him as he looked at them. He nodded back at them.

Right then Fitz – Simmons came rushing towards him, as usual, the two were discussing something vehemently on something. Something about magnets and stuff.

Peter smiled at them as they approached him.

"Neodymium magnets is going to do for this I tell you but the moment you .."

"No Fitz, I am telling you, you are absolutely wrong in there, I tell you, it is too strong to be used for any human, the rare earth metal creates a lot of hazards … oh hi Pet… sorry Spider man, I didn't mean to."

"Jemma you have got to be more careful now. Come now. Hi man, how have you been? I see that you have been using my belt. How is it going for you?"

Fitz spoke to him, like he hadn't seen for ages.

He thumped his back.

"Dude, your belt is really awesome. I carry so many cartridges on it all thanks to you."

Peter hugged him hard.

"Wow, wow, you are might try not to break up my rib cage right here, I don't help fast or I don't even have any things in me augmented senses like you or your friend … over there does. Wow, that's her isn't it? She is a real looker. Wow. Huh."

The two of them looked at her.

True to every word. She looked even more ravishing now. The bit of bloody skin that she revealed was a real turn on.

"Uhmm… ". Agent Simmons, coughed and hiccupped loudly. That was just way inappropriate. But for some reason, even Peter didn't hold back. He enjoyed the view that he got standing right there.

"Boys we have got work to do. I won't wait for you Fitz, join me if you feel like it." Agent Simmons quickly walked away from the two of them, her head turned away, she looked downtrodden as though she was sad.

"Bollocks, I should not have done that. She will be pissed at me." Fitz ran his fingers through the curly locks of his hair, tugging it slightly.

He was mad. But Peter didn't blame him. After all, they were men and this is usually what happen when they see someone eye popping. That is supposed to be normal for every guy. Especially when the two of them have mountains of testosterone surging through them.

The two of them walked to Agent Coulson and Agent Simmons as he was speaking with MJ right over there. Peter went and stood beside MJ and Fitz stood beside Simmons.

Agent Fitz looked down, probably embarrassed at what he had said, he knew this wasn't a sign of professionalism.

"So I see you have been able to handle her pretty well. She is strong enough and most of all she is unfazed. I don't understand how well, she has been able to take in all of this so quickly, you know I must give her credit for this. If it were me, I would have taken in an embarrassing whole amount of time." spoke up Agent Coulson.

"My, my you have become quite a leader in own way haven't you?" spoke up agent Simmons cheerily.

Peter was happy. Agent Simmons knew the pain that Peter had gone through when MJ was on her death bed. She just looked at Peter and smiled, a smile that was genuine, nothing short of a sisterly affection.

Agent May came out right out of the blue. Her demeanour as cold as ever. There was nothing warm about her just like the time when he had seen her previously. Just the same slight curl in her lips. All business like, no bullshit.

"There is something that I would like to you to see. Something that struck the radar right now."

Her voice demanded attention. She was serious about something that was clearly bothering her.

"Alright, people, please excuse me, I will be right back. Come on lets go." Agent Coulson excused himself from them and followed Agent May back to the BUS.

Just as Agent Coulson, left them, MJ spoke up.

"Hell that is some big ass oversized aircraft you people have got right there. I was waiting to say this but I thought it might be inappropriate to say this in front of Mr Suit. I wonder how you people manage to even keep it air borne and those turbines are one of the biggest I have ever seen."

"Ah, the BUS is another piece of awesome tech where SHIELD has not comprised and has poured in some loads of funding." Agent Simmons spoke up proudly.

"Well you can call it our headquarters. We basically travel everywhere right in this aircraft. I should say that this one of a kind." added Agent Fitz.

"And by the way I am Agent Fitz and this is Agent Simmons but you know, you can simply call me Fitz."

MJ stared at the craft with awe and wonder hardly registering what Agent Fitz had said to her.

Peter remembered the first time when he first saw the huge gigantic airbus that fell out of the sky, it was a sight to behold and especially its appearance when the aircraft slowly grew transparent to translucent. It was more than one could ever ask for. Peter had already fed these images into MJ's mind the first time. But the truth was that to watch it close, was a first-hand experience and it was again a completely different reminder altogether that it nowhere comes near to the vivid images that he sent her the first time.

"You mean to tell me that you have got your homes in the air itself?" questioned MJ.

"Yup, everything, from missions and orders, sleeping and what not, everything in the air itself. All of us have our own modules, you know like small little rooms."

MJ raised her arms in defiance. "Ah, hell that is way beyond me. I like to be in the ground, not that I would like to have a trip in that oversized aircraft of yours but no more than a day, but that's it."

"And how many people you have got living in there. Peter here …"

MJ froze right there itself. "Shit. Spidey I mean…."

She slapped her forehead realizing what she had done. She mouthed the word "sorry" at Peter, realising what she had just done.

 _"Peter I am extremely sorry. This would never have happened but there was not nothing I could do. I swear, I didn't do it on purpose." pleaded MJ with her mind._

MJ was already looking at Peter pleadingly, to forgive her. She meant every word of it.

 _"Don't worry, they know who I am and you too. Moreover it is an honest mistake and I knew that it could happen every moment but you see I had been dreading for this moment. Thank god that it happened in front of these people."_

MJ fell silent.

 _"What do you mean that they know you are? Oh right, you had to reveal yourself didn't you when you had to do that blood transfusion. So I guess all that ends well, I guess."_

 _"Wait, not so fast, MJ you have got to make a habit of not blurting out our names in front of unknown people. We were lucky that they knew us beforehand but that might not be the case for everyone around." said Peter to her._

 _"You are right." MJ fell silent._

"Hello, guys, we are here." said Fitz moving his right hand in front of Peter's mask, trying to get their attention.

"Did you just zone out or something? We didn't practically hear anything coming out of you mouths unless that is something else ... or wait a minute… that was…"

"Telepathy wasn't it?" completed Agent Simmons her mouth hung open, like she could hardly believe what she herself was saying.

Peter looked MJ as she looked at him and then the two looked at her.

"You are right. We have this telepathic link. Helps us transfer our thoughts, knowledge and pour memories into each other." MJ said.

"That is one kick ass ability." Fitz blurted out. "Hell. I want that, too."

"Your range of powers are then completely different from that of his. Its almost looking into a completely different form, an altered gene pool with things excess … stuff. You know that I would have a gala time trying to figure out your gene pool. And the most awesome thing about it is how your body would find compatibility with hers only and no one else's. Well, both of yours actually. Peter being the parent and the source and how his blood selected her according to body's requirement how it may change to suit the user I mean only her. Awesome."

MJ was shy. She had never been complemented by other people and especially someone who was obsessed about her, a scientist, who thought that she was special.

Peter could feel her blushing hard.

"And just for the record, have you decided what to call yourself? You know our spider guy right here call himself Spiderman and so have you thought of a name for yourself?" added Agent Simmons suddenly.

The sudden change in the topic caught her off guard. "Uum… I haven't thought of any name of such but I don't think there will a name absolutely required do you?"

"Oh come on. Get real. People nowadays name themselves, its almost like a christening ceremony, the first and the foremost rule of a budding superhero with powers so vast as our friend here. And if you don't mind, might I make a suggestion?" said Fitz with sudden enthusiasm.

"Please by all means. I would like to hear a few of them." said MJ.

"Well, your spider based powers are truly your great strength so I would prefer that you use something like Spider girl, spider woman that directly related to the spider DNA in your blood thanks to our friendly neighbourhood hero over here."

"Ok. That was lame. Or what do you say going for something for a bit dramatic like the Reaper or Talons or what about Toxin, since we saw you use those fingers of yours. I am guessing, they release a toxin that temporarily incapacitates the prey, a very potent and deadly technique. What do you say?"

"Toxin seems badass. Peter what do you say?"

"Hell, I am happy if it suits you but mind you, you are the one using it. And just for the record if you would ask me I would say that Toxin suits you just perfect, considering that unique strength of yours."

Just then, came a hush warning from Fitz and Simmons.

Agent Coulson was heading their way and he was accompanied by two of the most senior agents May and Ward. Agent Skye follow the three of them with a laptop. His facial expression was a lifeless one. Peter knew that something was wrong for him to show that expression.

Agent Coulson stood right before them, the three of them forming a small little circle. Agent Skye forced her way inside it with her laptop, holding it close to her chest.

She looked at Peter. Peter looked at her. She smiled at her, gave him a warm and a comforting smile looking at him. Peter acknowledged her and smiled back at her.

"Hello everyone, this is Agent Skye and there is this satellite picture that was captured a few moments not far from here. It looks like there has been some activity going on not very far from here, right after Spidey sent us a distress signal that came up. Okay, now since we have come up over here, there is something I would like to mention. Something that struck us as mildly vapid that was nearby near-by just this location. I thought it would in the best interest for us to check it out. Such little things always tend to make a huge difference in investigations, as they could provide us with important clues. Agent Skye would give you all a complete demonstration here."

Agent Skye zoomed in the satellite images and all of them looked at the area that she was trying to highlight. The entire screen was green and there was were numerous red dots at one corner of the screen and there were a few of them at the centre. The red dots at the centre of the screen was a bit too large to Peter's liking. There was exactly two of them.

"This is a thermal image that was just received by the satellite. Those dots at the corner are us and these at the centre are the ones we are concerned about. This is a thermal image that was taken by the satellite. Those tiny pin pricks at the corner of the screen are us. And these fast moving dots are people trying to run away it seems. Now what would they do that?" Agent Skye dabbed her forefinger at the corner of the screen.

"Ops, they are gone now. How is that possible?" Agent Skye seemed to be as confused as ever.

 _"Now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense. The old lady disappeared right among the crowd of those scientists and even something that seems to be mildly eye catching could give us clues." thought up Peter._

 _"You are right. Maybe she might have a hiding place somewhere nearby and I could use my sense to track her down. You know send it on overdrive. We could track them down in a jiffy." suggested MJ._

 _"No, let us wait and just listen to what they have to say first."_

"But this is what caught our attention. There two of them at the centre. But now only two remain and their heat signatures are ... Well, you could say they are a bit unnatural. I myself have … pfft … have never seen anyone with such high heats signatures." said Skye disbelievingly.

"You are right this is just absurd. People with this high about of heat to have been caught by a satellite is way beyond me I can't tell you anything about it unless I have seen it with my own eyes. This is .. " Agent Simmons laughed knowing that she was seeing something impossible.

"And you know the funny part. People with this high heat is other worldly, well first of all they should not exist, they should just melt off."

Agent Fitz started to type in something furiously on the screen and the screen went into some command menu and the rest was very gibberish to him.

Peter moved forward to look at what Fitz was trying to type in. by the time he reached him, he was already done. Peter stared at the screen.

 _"Looks like it is some kind of an override command to check if there are any online cameras available or not. A smart move."_ thought Peter.

"Oh, sir, I think I should tend her wounds, those cuts and bruise look rather nasty," suggested Dr Simmons to Agent Coulson.

"Yes Agent Simmons, tend to her wounds. Meanwhile we try to figure if we can find any information about this." Agent Simmons nodded and asked MJ to follow her to the BUS.

Peter could sense her excitement building up. She was going to see the BUS after all and this was something worth an achievement, she might never ever get a chance to get to enter and see it. They should consider themselves to be lucky regarding this matter.

 _"Hey MJ, try to coax her to show you the entire the craft. I am sure you will be stunned. You know right this is usually not possible for the normal people to see it, right?"_

 _"Don't you worry tiger. I am going to utilise it fully." she snickered at him silently._

The two of them went their way and clambered onto the BUS.

"Guys, I don't think there is any way other thank to follow those enormous heat signatures. This is not good and this is just bad. We don't even know if the kind of heat emitted will harm us or what?"

"You are right there is no possible way of determining if it would really harm us."

"It could be a harmful radiation for all I know."

"Agent Coulson. If I may, myself and MJ, I mean Toxin, sorry I have to got to get myself get into the habit of calling her that or I might risk exposing us, so I was saying that you could send us and then we could assess the situation and then tell you about it."

"I will consider your options but seriously I don't think right now is the time to discuss this." said Agent Coulson "And since that is completely wild card, if anything happens to the two of you, we might not be able to provide you backup on time. It will be entirely upon me."

Peter thought for a moment.

Peter knew she might take a few seconds, at max to find out any available anomaly in the direction they had just been showed and then the rest would just depend on fate and what luck would have in store for them.

"Okay, we won't come dangerously close to them but once we figure out what is taking so long, we will turn back to follow your lead."

Agent Ward had been quite the entire time.

Right then he cut in. "Boss. If I may, I think the spider kid is right. We let the two of them do the stake out and let them return to us. And in that way, assessing would be way simpler than any other way it could be."

Agent Coulson had grown pensive for a moment.

There was no denying that the plan was unflawed. Peter and Gwen were their trump cards, the two mutants who had single handedly took care of the entire warehouse. Agent Coulson knew about that and he could utilise their speciality, make use of their full potential and let them take on lead.

"You are right. We allow them to take lead and then things would get safer then onwards. Okay then people lets roll. Agent Fitz please inform Miss Toxin and tell her the mission that we have got to carry out."

"No that's all right. Let me." said Peter as he tried to access her.

"Anyway, Toxin is an apt name. I mean her diverse powers and specially the thing that knocks others cold and by the way how are you even going to do that?" asked Agent Coulson.

"Toxin has extreme sensitive senses and she could find out if there is anything that we have to be concerned about. And then after that we could inform you." confirmed Peter.

He reached for his subconscious and called out for her.

 _"MJ, its been decided, you and I get to do a stake out, first of all before the others. Have your wounds been tended?"_

 _"Yup, I must tell you, she is gentle. She is so very gentle. I love her hands." thought MJ rather dreamily._

 _"Okay then, get down her quick, we have work to do." said peter almost in a commanding voice._

 _"Peter Parker, trying to order me around? Hell, I never saw that coming. Oh boy you are in for a rough night." said a cheerful voice._

 _"Okay then. You have to get down anyway. We have aid them. Come down quick, before the men in black change their minds. That will be bad."_

 _"Give me a second, let me finish up this awesome ham sandwich. I am hungry."_

 _"Well then hurry up. We haven't got all day."_

 _"Still you manage to tick me off don't you?"_

 _Peter snickers silently._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was dark in the middle of nowhere. The two of them snuck up through trees and abandoned and dilapidated buildings. It was a place that was brimming with filth. They could literally smell them everywhere across the old torn mossed rocks.

 _"Oh, I hate this among all the others. Flying my ass off through filth. That is just way unfair. They let us do the dirty work."_

 _"Calm down Mary Jane. We have to go get pour hands dirty to remove filth. I have told you haven't I. And any way it was me. I had suggested them to make us do the stake out. its better this way. Minimum casualty."_

 _"What? Come on now Peter that is just not right. We have our lives too, don't we? If we keep doing this and who will clean up after us?"_

 _"You are right but you know there is a reason, I wanted take this into me. My gut tells me something that tells me to keep them out of this."_

 _"What? That is your problem Peter. You try to be there for everyone. For once think of yourself. That will ultimately consume you, and nothing will ever do you any good. Listen to me. Leave all of this behind. You could start off somewhere fresh. take your aunt, Gwen whoever you like, but these people aren't going to go for you unless that screwed up hot head Jameson gets something shoved up in his cracked up bleached ass. And I will make sure of that."_

MJ was trying to make Peter understand something crucial. Something Peter could never ever understand, his sacrificing nature. She understood all that crap about being there for people but there was something, she saying the truth about one thing. He laid off his life for the people of New York and this was what came up for him that was not at all what he had been expecting. Peter knew he deserved better.

Peter thought of Gwen once. What would she say to him of this? She believed in him and there no way she ever gave up hope on him. What would happen if it had been Gwen on his side instead of MJ? Would she say the same thing? Peter held on to the dear thought of his Uncle Ben, nagging at his conscience.

A small incident came up in his mind. Peter could feel his consciousness being poked and pried as MJ tried to see it. He allowed her to see his memory.

xxxx

It was another normal day at his school. People were getting ready, a few of them even were trying to get their homework done by someone else. It was an incident right when Gwen and he were already dating. Everything was smooth as butter.

Gwen had already come to her class and has to do some school work since she was the famous one and people were trusted her. Who wouldn't? After it was Gwen Stacy we are speaking about. She was the girl that you could entrust with. It was the same with the teachers and the professors around.

Peter was late. But his class hadn't started yet. He was just in time to see his locker getting all beat and pried upon by Flash and his hooligan friends. The entire place was a mess.

Flash spoke to him in a gruff voice.

"Hey Parker. You think yourself to be so strong and smart, huh? That basketball incident has made you quite famous hasn't it and now you are with Gwen Stacy. Come on man… what are the odds. right? Then come on show me what you have got. You are the one who started all of this in the first place. Show me what you are made off. Right now, you hear me, now Parker."

Flash growled at him.

Peter knew that he could silence him with just one punch. It would seem impossible for the rest of them, but then people would question him.

Things would get ugly.

"No Flash, I am late and I don't want to be late for my Chemistry class."

"Knew it, puny Parker is just pussy Parker. Spit on him, he would swallow it instead of falling it to the floor in a heartbeat."

Peter stood right where he stood. Things had gotten way far than he had imagined.

 _Peter just let it slide, you are better than him. There is no way you could get provoked by a man like him._

Peter walked past him silently, his fists clutched hard, the knuckles had grown white as a sheet.

Peter looked down. He had to be the cool one. There was no way, he could ever screw this up. He looked at the squared tiles, cream textured.

Flash guffawed. "That was what I thought, the biggest pussy of our school walks right in front of me. Yup, get your puny ass out a here."

Flash walks up slowly behind him and kicks Peter on his butt. That was it. Peter stood right there.

He could hear his heart pumping hot acid madly through his veins.

There was only one thought that was going through his head again and again.

 _Should I punch his head off or should I break his leg, ending his basketball career?_

All of their attention was drawn towards the disorder in a small section of a particular group of students. Gwen tears through the group of students creating a large ruckus.

She walked quickly towards Flash. Her face had no expression on them. Her brilliant blue eyes were soul piercing. She stood just a few feet away from Flash's grinning face.

His grin disappeared the moment he looked at Gwen. She was small and vicious and that look was dead dropping. She pulled her right hand and planted a tight slap on his face.

The sound echoed through the hallway. There was no more hustling in the crowd, a pin drop silence as the crowd echoed to complete silence.

Gwen, the goody girl had done this and saved Peter's ass.

This was humiliation on a completely different level for Flash. He staggered by the force of impact and stood still for some time. His mind was literally shaking from the slap that he had to receive from her. He looked at her, thinking of something bad.

But before that, Gwen spoke up.

"Flash you are so done, your impudence is going to take toll on you. Don't you get tired of all this? Huh? _Hubris softens the earth beneath the feet of victory_. You know what I would have been ashamed of myself for having to do that. I was wrong to think you had anything good left in you. You are just rotten from head to toe. There is no way you could ever come up with anything not even a way to … pfft, just leave it. You are a severely rotten apple aren't you? You will do anything to get back at him for someone who had done an honest mistake. He said he was sorry, didn't he? Yeah. Real mature. No more tuition classes for you. Remember I had warned you before but you know what? That's it. You have to look after yourself from now on."

She left him standing right there, along with the other jocks. All of them were stunned.

Peter himself was shaken. What did just happen?

She slapped Flash.

She really slapped Flash.

And that felt good. Really good.

How he wished he could slap him too.

Gwen walked past Peter. She grabbed hold of his hand as she tore through the awed looking classmates. Peter literally tripped as he got dragged on by her.

She pulled him into an open classroom and closed the door behind her.

Peter looked her quizzically.

"Gwen did you know what you just did?" asked Peter completely wonderstruck to think that Gwen had it in her too.

"Peter do you know what I believe? People especially like Flash, you know. Or just people take people in general, people can be bad but there is also good in people. It does not take even half the effort for people to go bad in the first place but once people are brought within their senses it would not take much time for them to understand the good in everyone. And I believe that with all my heart. That goes on without saying. And whatever I did, I wish that he would just realise where he had been going wrong. Even if he does not, every time he goes off, there will be people to keep a check on him. This time it was me and maybe the next time there will be someone else. But remember Peter no one can ever substitute what you are destined for. Your time is yet to come. And when it comes, there is no way there will be any way to avoid any mistakes. You have to make the biggest of all sacrifices. Sacrifices that other people can only dream of. People like us will there to take care of you for now but there is something that other people can only take so much. Remember the reason Peter why you had been given this chance. Remember …"

xxxxxxx

The real world slowly transpired into his existence. He felt himself moving forward, MJ silently moving on beside him,. She had nothing to say.

What was there to say anyway?

This was the principle that Peter followed. This was the principle that he held on to.

Peter's focus was now sharper than ever. He would protect people that was his only main goal at becoming something transcending into something big. It was all in his mind. He knew of that but this transcendence in his mind was what inspired him to take up a costume and there was very reason behind it. This transcendence is what every hero looks for, they thrive on it.

Peter could feel MJ's sadness radiate towards him, although she did not speak much.

Peter was silent. She was sad and the way she thought felt pure like the thoughtfulness of a small child.

She looked at him and nodded curtly. It was time to get back to business. She focussed her ability as he felt her range increase, the sudden spike in her concentration. Her senses picked up anomalies, the feeling was similar to him but it was way stronger than his. Like lamps of linked souls, two of them, her concentration amplified, pin pointed by her, hearing the echoes, stronger than words themselves.

 _"There is this slight disturbance, and like they said, there are exactly two of them to be precise. There is something unnatural about them. It seems they are releasing some form of … I don't like it. There is something very bad, I have a bad feeling about this."_

Her thought were disturbed.

MJ was slowing down all of a sudden. Something was effecting her. Peter stopped for a moment and looked at MJ.

Peter was scared stiff seeing her reaction, like a bottle of acid was poured all over her. She was sprawled on the ground, like a fish in dire agony when taken out of water. She was stuttering. She was trying to tell him something but all of that was gibberish to him.

He linked himself to her mind.

Peter did not need her telling him, what she was feeling. It was somewhat strange. It was like plunging your world into a swirling pool of darkness, followed by excruciating pain like she inside her own nightmare.

Peter desperately tried to calm her but to no avail. She was gone. Her breath came out rasped and jagged like was having difficulty in breathing. Peter locked himself onto her memories.

He felt her swim through the profanities at which she was gasping and fighting in her own way.

He pulled her mask from her face. Her hair was messy. Her eyes were bloodshot. He had to get her away from wherever they were.

Maybe it was the unnatural vibe the place had. It was creepy and that was what was taking a toll on her.

Peter remembered, once had a similar feeling before. The same feeling that he had when the weird glowy fist Mr fortune cookie guy had messed with his head. It was just too intensified and the same that he once faced. Then was it him fighting with someone. He had to see. He had to make sure but before that he had to take her to safety.

MJ was in no position to get up and let alone take another stride. She was completely handicapped and keeping her nearby would further complicate things up. He had to keep her safe.

Picked up MJ's body. She slumped her over his shoulder and carried her back, back to the Agent's team.

He could not keep her waiting, he had to take her away as far as possible.

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Peter rushed back, how much he hated himself for it, his inquisitiveness was barely hanging on to a thread. He hurried back to SHIELD's base and found the rest all of them slumped over at the computer screen. Peter stomped his right foot deliberately to get their attention.

They snapped their head from and looked at Peter like they are seeing a ghost.

"Um… Hello. Toxin over her needs some assistance." Peter was shaking his left hand trying in vain to get their frozen brain into action.

"How? How? Just how is that possible?" Agent Fitz stammered at Peter gawking at him.

Agent Coulson's face was stern, his eyebrows knitted into a tight knot, joined into a straight line, Agent May and Ward had the same faceless expressions but it had a sudden hint of wonderment. Agent Skye face hung open and she looked at him. She quickly closed her mouth. She was the first one to come to her senses and nudged Simmons.

She still looked awed and shook her head with disbelief.

"Wait, wait, what is it? Please, guys speak up …." Peter waited patiently.

"And I am done with you guys being tongue tied."

Peter stormed in front of them and headed to the med bay as the agents looked at him with disbelieving eyes. Peter rushed forward.

He could feel MJ's body quiver. It had started to quiver all of a sudden and then it stopped equally suddenly. Peter hurried. The last thing he needed was her loosing her consciousness once again. Not this time, maybe never again. He wondered why it was always with her.

She has had enough. Peter cursed himself for transfusing his blood into her.

Peter had grown sombre. He rushed to the med laboratory inside the BUS. The slight of the pristine cubic room brought down harsh memories and there was the bed where MJ once lay.

The very sight was a bit too overwhelming for him.

Peter could hear pattering of rubber soled shoes hitting the soft mushy ground. The agents were hurrying over to him.

Peter placed MJ softly on the plush pristine white mattress. Her head disappeared beneath the soft mushy pillow. Peter took a good look at her.

She was stabilising. Her breath had become normal. Peter almost heaved.

 _"Thank God, she is fine."_ Peter felt like the weight of the world lift from his shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Peter smiled at her.

MJ turned her head and looked at Peter.

She was scared. She green eyes and eyebrows were strained.

Seeing her stressed out so bad, concerned Peter.

"Peter there is something very bad out there. I beg of you … please."

She was desperate. Desperate tears hung out at the corner of her eyes as all of them tickled from the corner of her eyes.

"Peter you have to promise me. You can't go there. Never look back again ..."

"Why ? What was it?" Peter looked at her perplexed. He never had an evil vibe, the way MJ sounded terrified, just didn't make any sense to him. And those Agents were another question.

Something was ticking them off.

He wanted to know what was it?

MJ was hiccupping. Like something stuck in her throat. She coughed desperately. Trying to puke and belch.

Peter took a few steps away from her. Now this was scary.

Peter thumped her back.

Helping her break the fit of cough that was taking over her.

After a few painful, coughs, she stopped.

Drool seeped from the corner of her mouth.

MJ looked at Peter with reddened eyes that barely looked human. It looked like a pool of bloody red wine with white vines that joined to form a brumal latent pea green seed right at the centre.

Gone was the rich emerald green she once had.

She seemed tarnished and violated beyond repair.

"I saw a world. Pete, heaven. I had a glimpse of the afterlife." she stuttered.

Peter stood there completely stunned.

Her memories, her vision could not reveal anything else what she had already seen. It was nothing like he had seen. He could see why MJ seemed so trippy. What was the reason behind all of it.

Peter gasped.

Fitz and Skye came running and held Peter to his feet while Agent Simmons rushed to tend MJ.

"Peter we had witnessed a worm-hole open up right where you were heading. There was no way to contact you. Your coms were fried…"

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Readers, I hope you did like the name that I gave MJ. I thought it to be apt. Anyway suggestion are welcome as usual. And by now I hope all of you have guessed the final fierce fight - the eternal fight between Steel Serpent and Iron Fist. I hope that I would be able to satisfy all of you. And after that there would be a new storm brewing, one of Spiderman's classic villains would finally show up, even if I fail to mention about it, I would make it up for you.

So folks, stay tuned, because the next fight would be epic and this time there would be another Spider hero who would show up.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note – Hi there. All readers alike, this is the next chapter for my story.

The undeniable fight that was waiting to happen. I just wish I have got the facts right although I made some changes here and there. Just for the sake of simplicity.

I had to look upon the character of the steel Serpent's history to frame a proper story. About the Steel Serpent what had changed him. And in the later part of the chapter, I have decided to introduce a slight change in the way of narration because I thought it would be better and simpler to view to the entire story in a certain scale as there was a lot to write about. And it would not confuse me in me in my later chapters.

As the story progresses I might slowly reveal more and more about the character's powers and his strengths. I hope you enjoy it.

To all my reviewers and anonymous readers, your support has always been crucial to me.

And as always please rate and review my story. Reviews are more like a fragrance to me in a long forgotten room that would otherwise smell rotten and musty. It gives me hope and as gives me satisfaction that knows no bounds. Reviews really make my day. It really does not matter if they are positive or negative. It just motivates me to keep going and rectifying my mistakes that I might make over time.

Oh, and as usual I don't own any characters if the Marvel universe.

Okay then, happy reading.

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Peter's head reeled at the thought.

A worm hole.

You have got to be shitting me.

MJ's eyes were stark crazy, just lost beyond. She says she saw another world out there and there were these scientists who say a worm hole opening up all of a sudden. How could it even be possible? He was there with MJ and he did not sense a thing.

Peter placed a palm on the back of his head and allowed the silent throbbing in his head engulf him. He thought for a moment.

The constant chattering of the agents beside him felt so distant, now. He concentrated on what he saw earlier when he entered MJ's head.

He concentrated hard.

Those faint images of a long lost city. Something so beautiful and mystical, heavenly.

Something that was ancient and a place that had a soul of its own.

The place that MJ called heaven.

What was it?

What could it be?

The reality came tumbling down on him. He looked MJ once more. He could see the pain she was in but there was something else.

What was it? Satisfaction?

For some weird reason, she looked peaceful.

She was resting and appeared to be calm.

By now Agents Simmons and Fitz were all over her. IVs were set in place, syringes and hypodermic were being prepped.

Peter backed out of the med bay. He knew that she was in good hands. They saved her before and they would save her again. He could trust them, the two agents.

Agents Fits and Simmons.

Agent Coulson stood beside him.

"Don't worry she will be fine, I tell you." spoke up gent Coulson.

The tension in his voice was undeniable.

 _It was all a big mistake to have involved her all along. There is no way anyone will be getting hurt on my account ever again._

Peter turned away from the turmoil that went on behind him.

He knew what he had to do.

"Hey, where are you going?" he heard one of them shout behind him.

 _Ignore him._

Things had become so clear to him. Crystal clear. And there was no way any one was gonna get hurt.

Peter leaped off his feet and zip lined away from the BUS. He used the tall trees, dodged and passed through obstacles to the general direction where the two of them were headed initially. True he did not get similar vibes like MJ used to get but his sense of direction was equally optimised which guided him along the proper direction.

The trees and the dark foliage whizzed by him as the silvery light of the moon cast its light on him.

It wasn't long before he started to get a similar kind of feeling that MJ, had felt. He could relate now. The time when he entered her mind and the time when she looked so distant, now everything seemed to fall in place.

What captivated her so much?

So much that it took such a serious toll on her mind.

He realised that he was very very lucky to have not succumbed into the 'heavenly' madness that was not able to sense. Glad that his senses were so controlled, minimal but optimised, up to the mark that he could rely on it.

God knows how many times it had saved him.

He followed the weird signal in his head that he could only faintly understand.

As Peter approached it slowly, he could get similar vibes that was now slowly being magnified as he approached it.

But for some reason, he felt his consciousness being probed.

Thinking it to be Mary Jane, he opened his mind further to it. He was happy but there was something weird about the probing. Something was definitely out of out of place and he could not place it.

 _"_ _MJ, how are you doing? You are good?"_ Peter could feel the giant weight in his heart slip by before a dread filled his head.

It wasn't like any other feeling that he had felt.

It was dark and mystical.

MJ surely did not give off such a vibe, but he could not deny the vague familiarity in the way.

 _"_ _WHO is it?"_ screamed Peter in his mind.

He was furious.

Who was it?

Peter swung with an increased pace.

He calmed his head, thought for a moment.

And then it struck him.

"Of course, it's you."

It was him. The man with those fists of iron.

 _"_ _I suggest you to keep a distance from this fight. This is turning out to be unhealthy." his commanding voice spoke to him._

 _"_ _What? I don't know any of that but I am coming down here." Protested Peter as he headed straight into the fight._

He did not care anymore. He had had enough.

He felt his lingering presence in his mind. He was still inside his head.

 _"_ _What are you still doing in my head?" Peter was partially pissed and rather taken aback. He still did not expect him to reside in his head._

 _"_ _You don't know do you? The one I am fighting is Davos."_

 _"_ _Okay, now who is Davos?"_

 _"_ _You people know him as the steel serpent"_

 _"_ _Okay, you should have come at it sooner. Steel Serpent my ass, his bone breaking will be my undoing."_

Peter was seriously pissed. He had caused enough discomfort to him and to the people around him.

 _"_ _Hush now, Peter. You don't know what he is capable off."_

 _"_ _Well, I think I will be the judge of that, thank you." Peter cut him off._

 _"_ _Okay, then, since you are not leaving this battle field, let me warn you before you decide in to join in the fight. There will be no going back unless and until one of us survives. We will be in completely different realm during our fight and so will you. And you should know a few things about him before you join in my fight."_

He did not wait for Peter's approval. He poured on memories onto his head.

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The nature of his memories were so different.

They were controlled and tragic. It made his heart wrench.

He witnessed a fight. A fight that seemed to be him, impossible. He had the glimpse of a long lost old city that seemed to have a soul of its own.

A will of its own.

An ancient city in an unknown place, composed of incomprehensible surroundings, that defied explanation, because things were so blurry first, everything was in utter complete shambles.

Peter could see himself, standing in between the two of them.

The two warriors were old and something in them radiate strength and power something.

And the fight was something extraordinary.

It was nothing that he could do.

It was an amalgamation of good and an equally negative conscience, radiating from the two antediluvians. Like two complementing forces vowed to take out each other.

Something in Peter told him that this was something for than a feud.

The undeniable wringing of their hearts, a debt that could be settled by blood only.

There was something more among all of that.

Peter could feel it.

Other than he could do nothing but observe the fight.

Davos looked to have an upper hand. He was way bulkier. He looked to have the upper hand, physically speaking.

His chest was bare, had a purple amaranth bandanna on his head just like the other guy had that covered his complete head and bits of jet black hair peeked out shyly from the sides, a loose dark chinos black trousers, the fabric that seemed to catch the wind along its minutely combed material and flutter along its direction.

He had a dark tan throughout his body, a cruel wicked grin spread across his face.

And the unmistakable giant skinny wingless dragon like tattoo laid bare on his chest, like a serpent, that Peter would recognise anywhere, just like the symbol that was imprinted upon those small paper pieces like the drug. And as for the guy, he had a winged majestic dragon scorched up on his chest and his dressing style was similar to the iron fist guy but there was a sense of vintage in his outfit, it was old like it had its own life throbbing inside his suit.

Like a sentient being.

The other one who had glowy wrists flowing with immeasurable power and vigour. He was not the iron fist that he had first seen. He was obviously someone different.

That was the man with the fiery fist was strong but could Davos really stand up to him now.

Peter had seen the immensity of the strength that the fist carried, when the fiery fist took out the infected back right in front of his eyes.

There was absolutely no way the purple bandanna guy could stand up to him.

Right then Davos moved at blinding speed.

The air around him seemed to blur away.

Even Peter found it difficult to keep up with him.

He lost track of his movement in a single blink.

Every step he took seemed to be long bounded leaps.

Spidey could see his spiritual aura increase, like literally multiplying ten folds that he could feel the insane power.

His entire presence got shrouded by the immense chi that he was drawing from somewhere.

Somewhere foreign, nowhere near him.

Like what seemed to be chicane in Peter's eyes but somehow it felt too real.

The fight was too much even for his mutated enhanced sensory organs.

It seemed to him like his perception was straining him in every way imaginable.

The blows that they exchanged were terrific, like two superpowers bashing and blowing out each other and rest everything was difficult for him to make out. Every blow the two of them exchanged seemed to produce shock waves. It was unearthly.

The only thing he eyes could perceive in time was a distinctive contact.

The vital contact.

Davos somehow managed to get to his side and slammed his chest with him, to push him back away.

The two majestic and vicious symbols made contact.

The warrior with the flavescent bandanna flew back fell to his knees like his energy was sapped away almost immediately, he seemed to have lost all his vigour and vim, completely energy less.

The foreign voice in the back of his mind spoke up.

 _"_ _Look carefully Peter. The truth lies within but you must be sure to look never to miss out leads."_

Peter looked harder.

What had happened?

All he could see that the guy who resembled him buckled under his own weight now almost fell to the floor, eagle spread.

He even did not have energy to look up. He was shaking.

Peter's senses seethed like it was forced on being overdrive like he was being manipulated.

It seemed to him like he was being dragged to the fight, into the debacle rage and fury of the fallen hero.

And that was when he felt his essence being drawn and pulverised from his body, against his will.

His life force was being sucked out of him and then he understood what it was all about.

He was drawing strength from him too. He knew that it was not possible but somehow he could feel the intensity at which he was effecting the fallen ancient warrior. It was almost like he was deliberately made to feel.

Like he was deliberately losing a part of himself.

Surely, it had to do something with the sudden contact. But the idea was no way making any sense. It was way outlandish but he could not deny the inevitable fact.

A mere touch of the scorched mark, could it be so dangerous?

The contact between the two ancient force right at the bizarre tattoos did this, that created such a huge insane pressure that it literally sucked out the living force right out of him.

Even Peter was being effected being so near to him.

 _"_ _What did you understand Peter Parker?" the voice echoed within the walls of his head._

 _"_ _I guess the fallen hero is one of your kind and the victorious is the villain here and there something very fishy about that searing mark on Davos." He spoke in his mind meaning every word._

 _"_ _Yes, you are right. And Peter don't you feel strange? Like you are being pulled into the fight?"_

 _"_ _What? How did you know?"_ Peter was stunned. He did not expect him to so bluntly broach on what he felt, especially when he was so right.

 _"_ _I know Peter, because my conscience dwells within your mind."_

 _"_ _Wait, hang on a minute. You are out there fighting and how can you manage to speak to me here as if you are a completely different person."_

 _"_ _No the real me is out there, the final confrontation with Davos, a death battle locked for all eternity."_

The way he said this seemed to Peter like his consciousness was begging him to understand.

Peter felt bad for him now. He wanted to know more especially his curiosity had taken an ugly turn.

Mystical magic coupled with science. What more could he want?

 _"_ _Who is he? The fallen hero? I can tell you, that is not you but both of your strengths and powers are so vastly similar. I know that he does not look like you and the two of you are in stark contrast with each other. There is still something more you wish to tell me."_

 _"_ _I guess it is better to tell you since you don't have any idea and since in reality you have already_ _entered the fight radius, there is no way you can go back now. You can now be free only if either one of us dead, so this is the story of Davos is the son of my trainer Lei Kung, the Thunderer. It was his birth right to rule over the kingdom of Shao Lao."_

 _"When Davos was a child he knew his destiny was great. He didn't understand why no one else recognized his potential. Not the_ _Yu-Ti_ _. Not the_ _Thunderer_ _,_ _his own father_ _. At every turn he's been held back. Is it a wonder he has a problem with authority? He takes what little they have to offer. These insect. These ants. He rips their life force from their bodies and heals his wounds. Flesh bubbles closed. Blood coagulates. Bones fuse. He takes it all so that he may stand while they fall. If he had enough of it, the Chi of_ _Shou-Lao_ _, the dragon... could he heal his heart, too? And if he was simply given the love he needed in the first place... but_ _K'un-Lun_ _was never a place for love. All it offered was fire and blood. Can you blame him for accepting?"_

The narration in his mind was so beautiful and tragic.

Like a poet at work, creating one of his masterpieces, the feeling that he conveyed.

The detailed story about Davos and his murderous malicious intent poured on his head after he was stopped being recognised to be fit to wield the power of the Iron Fist. The first time when he had ever tried to wield it by stealing it from the past Iron Fist, it did him almost no good.

The immense power ate his mind, consumed him and he had become power hungry, when he got a taste of this holy power. Like he saw nothing like he was literally tripping all over with a power equal to that of a nuke.

And that had been his undoing.

And then he was subdued and locked away. His tormented heart and soul was already tarnished for having been humiliated. It was further intensified when his own father denied him of his throne, his rightful place and on the other hand, it was his own father who had given him the task of looking out for the Dragon's egg. At that had been the least he had been expecting of him to approve him as the chosen warrior, the heir.

As that had become a dream that he could never have. Never cherish.

And for that he sought revenge. Against all people, be it this realm or Kun Lun.

And all of this, the steel serpent drug, was a test, an elaborate plan that he took and procured from one of the earthlings and he entrusted it to Mrs Gao. He appointed her to look out for the drug, its improvement, potency and administration were all in her hands. He asked her to make him an army, an army under his control that would be under his complete disposal and storm in to his city.

That was all this was about.

" _I must tell you that was by far the most awesome and a severely twisted plot I have ever laid my ears upon. But you know something really caught my attention. What did you mean by that …. When you said Dragon? This is the twenty first century dude. You have to be a lot more convincing than that. And anyway heaven or not but not dragons. That is just not possible._ " He let out a nervous laugh.

Because he knew, that it might be true, from the glimpse that he had just had, deep within his vestibules of his mind, he pictured a fierce angry roar, leaping flames painting the sky with fire, people running around shouting and scared.

That was all but stories that were read out to children. That was the only truth, a myth that it could have and that is all.

" _Peter, time is of utter essence. You should know that I would never try to indulge your mind, but what I said is true. The power of the Iron fist, the power that only a few has ever been able to master it lies within that dragon. The heart of hearts. Its core.  
A dragon's heartstring. And so the killing of the dragon is a kind of ceremony for us._"

His voice was distant and soft in his head as though his mind was reflecting on the moment when he had killed it. It was not pleasant but it had to be done

" _I was chosen. The only chosen pupil by my master. He had faith in me. The power of the Iron Fist that dwelt within the dragon's heart_."

" _The reason I speak to your mind Peter because I have seen your heart. It is pure. I know that you are destined for greatness and that you have far more to achieve. And for that you will survive. You are survivor. All of those loses throughout your life has made you stronger. You are rich with experience for a small boy of your age. And, trust your judgement don't question them all the time. Above all keep your friends and family close. I know you have people who would readily die for you. And believe me, it has always been your famed inquisitiveness Peter that will transcend you to greatness. This is another strong aspect of yours. You are never afraid to venture into something new. And finally your humbleness. All the people, near and dear ones will never leave by your side and they will keep you company through the worse days and this is what makes you one of the most valuable man on this planet.  
And speaking of Davos, he is rotten to the core, corrupted beyond repair. I don't know how far he is gone but for now, he is my sole concern. His fight is with me and that is all that it should be. I appreciate your concern. You want to aid me but in this fight it would be better if you try to look out for yourself. The purpose of imparting this memory unto you so that you don't get killed out her. You know what to look out for right?_"

Peter was speechless for a moment. The way he had described him was something only a few handful of people regarded him that way. His aunt and his late uncle, Gwen and MJ although he sometimes doubted her affection but Peter knew that she always wanted his own good.

For better or for worse.

For a split second Peter had grown forlorn. He was confused.

" _Peter, tear your confusion aside and for now trust me and let me be your guide, your friend_."

Peter knew he was right. There was something far worse at hand now.

And he had to trust him.

He snapped out of his momentary trance.

" _Yes, the tailless malnutritioned dragon alright_." Peter was a bit off his usual self by now, when he made the remark. He did not think the threat he would pose. The memory that he had been subjected to was so old. Peter was almost confident, certain that Davos would never be able to keep up with the two of them. It was not possible. The memory that he had been subjected was long far and distant and he whatever he had witnessed was ages old.

" _Careful Peter with those words. That symbol is something more than you think it to be. Davos is the master of evil, he sees every man's greatest desire and a conspirator. Don't think for a second that he is weak. He can intensifies the madness in all people around him. You might not have anything to do with for now and most importantly you can feel so, like your mind perfectly, it has done well for you and the people around you, all because of your uber sense and strength. You should be grateful of them. And as for that symbol, the nature of his strength greatly complements mine and in a way it even surpasses almost all of the Iron Fists so far especially when he had drawn power from the last one and right from there … it was like he was completely changed. He had become more reckless now. It was like a kind of lust for him and for that, he was cursed and banished but there is something that still no one understands. In spite of being trapped and tortured, he still managed to get ever stronger. And that has proved to be so difficult. I have to get to him by now because that will be only way that I can truly bring peace for the people in my city_."

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Peter came back.

Into the reality.

There wasn't any lingering presence in his head, like a space of his head occupied by someone.

He saw the two of them in a fighting pose separated by a formidable distance.

The man with the Iron fist was ready for a strike but unlike his father he was controlled, not a hot headed. Peter observed him.

He was analysing him.

Although Davos did not have his right arm, the arm was composed of complete chi looked even deadlier.

It looked like, a demon hand, a hand bestowed upon him by the evil, forged from malignity.

Peter wanted to ask him about that weird looking hand but he could not contact him like the way he did with him when he had something vital to tell him.

"Davos, I know. I know that this rage isn't what you are. You have to overcome your fears, this fear that has led to such a misfortune and believe it or not, your father would be happy to have let you back in. Believe me, we want you back. Please, this fight is meaningless."

Iron Fist's voice was mellow and confident, if it were him, Peter himself would go back and with him to his city.

Such was the healing effect of his soothing calm words. It was something that was beyond any medicine could treat him. Better than an aspirin but of course not better than Gwen.

She was his own personal ultimate healer.

But Peter knew that he had to be on his guard.

A harsh voice followed. A voice rigged with insanity and someone who had lost all his hope and he knew better to trust himself like he is the one and the most supreme of all. Such was the aura, he emitted. And for some reason one of his hand was missing, like his arm cleaved right off his shoulders. But there was something else in place of his arm. Peter couldn't make it out but something was very weird about it. It looked like to be a silhouette of some sort.

Looked like some sort of an apparition, a phantom from a distance.

Something hardly solid.

"I am the chosen son of Kun Lun and only the true people of Kun Lun can smell death when its near. You are a commoner. Your father was a commoner, destroying the purity of our race and culture by your senseless modern ideas that you people follow there is no way you can ever be in my league. By no right should the throne ever be yours. Your father was the same, and so he died by my hands and that would be the same for you. You believe yourself to have mastered this technique? I was given the charge of handling the Dragon's egg and imagine my surprise when my father chose you instead of his own flesh and blood to fight the Undying dragon and claim the power of the Iron Fist. And there I shall carve your body … the lesson of what penance is exacted for soiling another's pride."

Peter eyes flew wide open.

 _So there was a family feud amidst all of it. And the undeniable ability to turn everything into a fortune cookie._

Peter should have guessed beforehand that he would turn out to be an equal fortune cookie like the Iron Fist.

For some reason Peter could feel the hatred burning on his face and he made absolutely no attempt at hiding or obnubilate, even in the slightest bit.

Davos raised his 'otherworldly' hand construct and brought it near his face. Peter looked at it. It was filled with abrasions, rope burn pattern abrasions all around it.

He walked up slowly to Iron Fist.

Peter could see his lips form a devious curl around his ancient face and the huge heavy body that he had.

Iron Fist had followed his stance and started to walk slowly, just like him and walked with an even quicker pace towards Davos.

"Oh, forgive me master, for having wronging you. Now I know, the hatred that rages within you can never be tamed, like you would be locked in a battle for eternity with the likes of me. And I promise you that it would be worth your while." spoke out the iron fist as though he was going to sin. It sounded vaguely like a confession.

Davos ran with blinding rage, fuelled by his tormented past, in a hope to prove himself, rushed and the two forces collided.

Peter was really surprised that he could run at all, considering the massive built that he had.

It was like fireworks.

Peter knew that he had to help the Iron Fist guy. Judging by his age and the age for which he had lived for so long, there was no way, he could have remained senile for so long. It was alright for him to have gone haywire and completely lost his head.

The two giants collided and Iron Fist went off flying by back in his direction, back to the spot where he once stood a few seconds before. The fire in his fist has diminished. But he was quick on his feet. He quickly scrambled up on his feet and punched his ground with all his might.

"AHHH.." The iron fist screamed with power and strength.

The ground shook like it had been hit by a 9 magnitude earthquake .

Peter leaped off the unstable ground that was almost threatening to give away under his feet.

Davos gave a maniac laughter.

The force of the impact seemed to have no effect on him as he held his ground unfazed.

"You know what I could just simply take the power that was given to you, like I had done to the previous ones."

Davos rushed at him with blinding speed like the way that he had showed Peter.

Peter run as fast as could towards the fight.

He had to aid him in battle.

He knew what this demented piece of shit wanted and whatever it was it not worth any man's life.

He would be targeting to get close within his range and would attemot at making that connection that would leech of the iron fists of all his strength.

And his primary objective was to prevent that from happening. But not on his watch. Never.

Peter leaped and changed his web shooters' spinnerets so that it now spit out high velocity web balls.

He fired continuously at him until he slowed down and Peter landed a hard kick in his lower abdomen that got him flying across several foot till it hit a large boulder that brought cracks on it. The cracks resembling the shape of his immense body shape that was now shaped like his body structure, like a fossil.

Davos buckled slightly under his feet and wobbled back to his feet, the devious smile not leaving his face.

Peter witnessed his face bleeding. The lines of a dark red blood running down from his amaranth bandana that was now clearly tainted. The scratches on his face were undeniably large and distinct.

Peter felt that weird sensation once again.

 _What is this?_

Davos drew on more power _._ How could he do that?

How is he able to draw power like that? It was as if he had a replenishable source somewhere inside his body.

The blood stopped flowing and followed back its course back to his ruptured skin. It started to slowly mesh and heal at an instant rapid pace.

"Don't you realise something by now? You puny humans, you could never ever hope of defeating me. Clearly I could have subdued the two of you without even having to drop a single sweat or lets just make this interesting shall we?" He looked at Peter dangerously.

Peter looked back at him. He wasn't afraid of him.

He wanted a piece of him and he was ready for him.

His crazy experiments had done enough for the people of New York.

And he was responsible for having to turn MJ and God knows she had suffered enough. All because of that blood transfusion.

"Since the masked man was bold enough to throw me off, I am pretty surprised. You look puny but I guess you are stronger than I had expected you to be. I am impressed with you really. Let's go two on one now, shall we?"

Peter looked back at Iron Fist who was up on his feet by now. His breathing was at a controlled rate.

Both his fist were glowing, the unsurmountable power that held in between every rock solid punch.

"All right Parker. I am pissed off at him as Hell and this would be a right time to throw in some good old punched on muscles flesh and bones."

Iron Fist moved forward, quick and agile that he was.

Davos blocked the first punch with his chi devil arm and delivered a crunching blow on his lower ribcage.

Iron Fist stuttered, he backed away a few spaces. He gritted his teeth with rage and pain.

Peter blasted off series of webs at his wrist trying to block him and try an attempt to go form a submissive move before he could deliver another blow at him.

As soon as the web made contact with his right fake evil arm, it passed right through it.

"What? How is this possible?" you.. That…"

Peter was shocked beyond words.

That arm of his, it seemed to be a solid construct to him. And he had used the same arm to punch the Iron Fist. That should have been a solid construct, chi or not, that did not matter.

It was solid and that was all that he was concerned with.

And he expected his web to hold him or slow him down.

Of all he never expected it to pass right through it. It just didn't make any sense.

"Oh, nice isn't it?" said Davos, the forced endearing delight in his voice sounded even weird that would never ever resonate well with the ancient barbaric tone of his.

"It's all futile. We have think of something before we permanently settle this."

He cracked his knuckles, turned his head at the two of them like a yellow peril, set tightly in his evil eyes.

Peter knew for sure that things would begin to get rough from now onwards.

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Gwen's point of view

Gwen was alone in her apartment. She was twirling an old biology book, playing it with her fingers.

She missed Peter and he had been out all night. He usually makes contact with her but today he didn't and Gwen was worried a bit.

Every night he would come by and then sometimes even dream of him, like a ghost by the side of her bed, so perfectly clear.

It was so perfect.

Gwen finally decided to call up his number.

The same mundane ringing tone ran through the speakers of her cell phone before ending up getting disconnected.

She tried once again but it was all in vain.

Something was up with Peter.

He was always on the run with Mary Jane.

And now that she had powers, Peter considered it to be his job to babysit her.

And there was no time for the two of them.

Gwen was not trying to me mean here, maybe a tad bit jealous.

She gets to spend more time with Peter than her.

She has powers and she should be able to look after herself and Peter had become her guardian ever since and the most important thing was that she was his girlfriend and there was Peter giving his undeterred attention to another girl.

They did not spend time for each other now that they used to.

It was not fair.

Gwen looked around.

Her desperation has started to take its toll.

She felt sad. She was mad.

A bit angry.

She had to make herself visible to Peter.

She had to make an impact for Peter only then he would only decide to notice. She could feel small tears welling up.

She had lost her Dad and now Peter was being distant from her.

She looked up to Peter a bit. She liked being the way he took care of her.

She had to do something to get to do something to get his attention.

What could it be?

Empty thoughts resounded throughout her mind.

What could she do?

She had to think of something. She had to conjure something up.

Inside the mini freezer, in her room, the laboratory that she had where she used to do minor experiments, she might have just what she would be needing.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and got down her bed, walked into the mini laboratory.

She opened the door of the refrigerator and looked inside.

There was blood.

Peter's blood stored in small blood bags.

Peter occasionally used to come to her to store small amounts of blood in units and pints, just in case he ever needed some, accidents or sometimes when Peter wanted his blood work. He had to be careful and as Gwen was the only one he could trust to keep his identity secret. She would sometimes run checks on him as he did not know what the doctor would ever find all the mutated crap in his blood, occasional bouts of fever that he suffered at times although none of them lasted long.

Gwen picked up a bag of his blood and stared at the cold dark crimson red liquid feel heavy on her palms. The blood held the key to so many questions in her mind.

How the spider bite changed him for the better?

Just scientific curiosity.

What would become if she would ever to reverse engineer a serum and inject herself with a dose of the spider venom that gave Peter all his powers?

Peter stays with MJ only because she had powers. He considered it to be his job to look out for her. And in the process she was loosing her importance over her. Only if somehow she would have powers then things would be so much simpler for her. She would be able to tag along with him in his crusades.

But won't that be wrong?

Peter trusted her so deeply and she was always so ever present for him when he needed her the most.

But the thought was so tempting. If things would be right she would be able to look out for him, like the way she used to when they were in school, just like old times.

She thought about it for a moment.

God knows what could happen if she ever attempted that.

She had to be careful.

She knew what had happened to Dr Connors, his frightful obsession to create a superior race devoid of all illness.

She had to careful, if she ever tried to attempt an experiment.

Repercussions would be tremendous affect him and now J Jameson would find another way to douse everything on Peter. There were now groups of people who already thought him to be responsible for another web slinging mutant.

People were already scared at what they did not understand.

What would happen if she would again show up on the scene with similar powers?

She thought about it, till the thought raved around her head hurting her bad.

Enough is enough. I want Peter and he would respect me for it.

He loves me but he does not get to spend enough time with me all because of that stupid MJ.

She thinks herself to be so very popular, she could find herself any boy. Any boy would be willing to go out with her. But why Peter. She has powers, she should look out on her own, not that the two of them really cared for each other.

She had to see that their relationship would not be aggravated once again.

That would be just bad, just so bad.

Gwen pulled out the blood bag and placed it on the stone slab of the small laboratory.

She felt a bit sick, like small fever throbbing on her temples like it wants to kill her and tear her apart. Like a thrill that would tear her apart.

Was it more of a vengeful love that she wants to spit out?

She was over thinking about it.

She had to basic things she would need.

She breathed in to calm herself. She could not loose any more concentration on this job. A minor mistake and she would have to start all over again and especially people should not know what she was trying to do in here.

Reverse bio engineering was her speciality. God knows if anything ever went wrong.

She could do it, keeping one eye closed.

No problem.

It was already late at night.

She knew that it would take an awful lot amount of time but it would be worth it.

She had a sudden faint imagination of her swinging along with Peter through the buildings of New York, fighting crime, hand in hand, it would be so damn romantic.

For the first time in so many nights, she smiled at her.

She had to make this this right.

She had to do this right, there was no way things would ever be bad for her and for some reason, she felt her confidence rise and she knew that there was no stopping her.

She paced back to her cupboard and pulled out her protective gear and the marble white laboratory coat.

She just hoped she had everything in there in the room.

Test tubes, burners, conical flasks pipettes, burettes, spooling agents, DNA markers.

She closed the room in her room, a silent click from the inside as her faint footsteps disappeared back to her lab.

She had work to accomplish, her goal further intensified by her love, fuelled by pride for Peter that she thought could never be hers.

She was ready to fight for it.

 _Be a smoking girl, a daredevil…._ She thought..

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The fight will continue further as it progresses further, pieces of Davos' aka the Steel Serpent will be further revealed.

I hope that I have been able to satisfy my readers and followers of this story. If I have made any wrong attempts in the character's history, please feel free to leave a review or a PM. Your ideas are very much appreciated.

And as for your ideas Ravenmore45, I will be implementing in the next chapter for sure now.

And specially the support from Highlander348..


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note- Hello there, once again. i know that I had promised to write up more frequently but time has always against me this entire year.

But this time I have decide to break up larger chapters into two whenever it exceeds more than 10k a chapter. This chapter for one turned out to be so. Just for the sake of simplicity.

And as usual, my utmost thanks to all my readers, anonymous and others alike. For all the dear support that you have given me with. Ravenmore45, highlander348, kindleflame5, Winterrain36 and the others alike.

Cause I could have never ever thought of going so far into my story. And for that I can never thank you enough. :)

And please don't forget to leave a review as reviews keep me in check every time I take a wrong turn.

And rate my story if you like them.

Enjoy and please don't hesitate to let me know if I ever ever go wrong in facts or if I start out of topic.

I am just a review or a PM away.

Enjoy :)

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Gwen's point of view.

There were certain times when she sometimes wished that she would die. Like the world had been enough for her.

She had seen enough of it. Like that was all that her shitty life could give her.

The pain was so unbearable for her, the hollowness inside her had grown so big with the loss of her father and the fact that her relationship with Peter or whatever that was left of it, she had to be salvaged, scrounged and trying to pick up the broken shards and pieces, whatever was left of it just to make them work.

She was driven by such mad desire that was so impalpable to her, now that she could never imagine that she had been holding the answer in the hands right from the first.

Or was it because she really didn't need any of it? Or maybe she needed to get her head away from Peter.

She was confused cause she didn't know what to do.

There was nothing left for her to answer except ponder about the problem at hand.

The mutated spider venom was in the vial that she had carefully engineered. But there was a slight complication.

Millions of trial and error methods just to find the right combination, but another problem was killing her, threatening and questioning all of her research.

It was all because of the non-potency of the serum when she tried to administer it within her blood.

It was like it completely rejected her. She remembered the first time when, when she tried to isolate the mutating gene from Peter's blood during the countless number of methods as she tried to mutate it to her own blood during several of her experiments.

There wasn't any way her blood would accept the foreign gene.

Upon inspection she found the absence of any conventional receptors that she used in normal experiments.

And after that she tried every alternative combination, every permutation to make her blood accept the extra pair of gene but to no avail. Finally when she was just about to give up when she finally discovered the real deficiency that her blood lacked, that was causing all of this.

It was then when she found the need of an extremely volatile and strong accelerant that could stabilise the mutant genome by forcing her blood to change the receptor target shape for it to accept the foreign genetic anomaly.

But unfortunately she did not have any accelerant, that potent with her at that time except one.

The powdered form of extremis that Peter had showed her once.

It was a type of steroid and it could easily take on the role of an accelerant.

But it was available to her, only with a minor quantity, almost nil, but she knew that to make it work, she had to use it, even when her mind told her not to use it.

And the ill effects of the serum was staggering, not to mention the zombie like effect that it had on all of all the people who were subjected to it.

She was desperate but she wanted it to be completed as soon as possible.

Gwen felt a brick sliding down her stomach, because she knew that had struggled on it a lot.

Gwen had already spent too much time on it anyway to back away from it right now. She was desperate and was the despair that was effecting her.

She had synthesized the compound by working in her own home laboratory with the most basic of all equipment and any minor screw up could make all of this experiment all just a completely useless vial of failure.

She had been locked up in her room all alone with minimum sleep in a quest to do something stupid, or maybe something exotic but it was for Peter and that was going to be worth everything. All of her effort won't go complete waste. She was not going to get flunked and she was confident about it.

The exotic properties of the extrimis Peter's his venom and her blood could be the solution. A solution that could help her get powers.

She wasn't sure but she had to try it. After all experiments were all about trials and sacrifices and her mind was more than made up. She was head strong with her decision.

The series of steps she followed was meticulous, sometimes dipping it into a water bath for curing or in a mechanical agitator to get the desired results.

But at last she made the serum.

The colour was an amalgamation of a hue of red along with a slight yellowish at the centre swirling around it. It looked like the sun. It had the colour of the sunset and the brightness and radiance of the yellow sun.

She stared at it,

Did she do it?

Was it possible that she had finally made the serum?

48 hours of hard work, did it really pay off? Was the truth was in her hands?

She had to be sure. She had to try it on her.

There was no choice. Human trials are always a vital part of all experiments that all scientists were willing to make. All sacrifices had to be made in the name of science.

She took one last look at the serum because she knew that this was going to change her life forever.

For better or for the worse.

God knows what it would do to her.

She was scared, if she would really turn out to be 'something' other than the mutation that she needed?

What if she lost sense in all her logic?

What then?

What would happen if she turned out to be a hairy monster with extra pair of limbs without the slightest bit of any intellect and god knows what not, because the preliminary tests showed that she now knew that every time the blood found another host it would not give them same abilities or maybe it would change the person all together, morph and mould her into an abomination.

Or maybe a complete spider itself.

She cast aside all her thoughts. They were disturbing and she did not want any of them to hold her back now, when she was this close. She wanted this to be a success no matter what…

And as far as her calculations had predicted her and proved to be right, she the side effects that would torture her thereafter, or if not completely, maybe then just a glimpse that would help her prepare for what she about to go through.

She rolled up her long sleeves and pulled out a medical syringe and pushed the needle into the serum and filled it completely.

It almost reached 20 ml mark and then she stopped and pulled out the needle from the small glass vial.

She let go a small sigh.

"Here goes nothing." so saying she pushed the needle into her veins and then was when the onslaught of feelings started to blast through her overwhelming her so deeply and profoundly that she never had ever imagined it to hit her this way.

It was something that was threatening to tear up her innards. A strong force that was building inside her, like someone forcing on her. Pulling apart every organ from her body.

Every inch on her skin was hyper and she could feel everything that was going on. The light breeze that blew outside seemed to be too loud.

The dripping of water from the partially opened up tap.

The neighbouring shouting at a stoner that was slinking just beneath the garbage telling him how rotten he was.

Her mother, humming to the tune of The Beetles as she flipped over the contents the morning newspaper.

The murmur of the silent movement of her lips read out something about a series of bizarre bombings that below up a dock in the sea side.

Gwen slowly sat up from her bed, her skin and fingers twitching and tingling uncontrollably.

She scratched her back like something was pushing itself from her back.

She tried to stretch her fingers and pushed her hands as far as she could, just to feel whatever it was that was causing this weirdness on the small of her back.

That was when she felt some protrusions. They were hard and almost a few centimetres big.

Gwen quickly got up from her bed scared shitless for unable to comprehend what was happening to her.

Her worst fears were coming true. She did not want the mutation to effect on her physiology but somehow that very thing was happening that she dreading for.

She had made sure that it really won't affect her and now everything that she did not want was happening to her.

She leaped up from her bed and onto the floor and stoofd in front of her dressing table.

She stared at herself long, good and hard.

There was nothing happening to her face, not so far.

She stripped herself nude and looked in from of her mirror, turning and twitching to see her back to get a good look.

Whatever was going on her back scared the shit out of her now that she could see what she really turned out to be

There were six of such protrusions. Three arms on the either side of her spinal cord that were growing with healthy and soft muscles.

They were growing and a phenomenal rate. Her cells almost growing and multiplying with each and every passing second.

Her eyes grew wide open, amazement and bewilderment that filled her, when she saw her arms finally stop to divide and proliferate, for now she knew that it was complete.

They were an exact replica of her hands.

She was beyond speechless.

She stared at herself in front of the mirror with awe and wonder.

"So this is what it does to me? Turn me into a monster spider freak? Made my senses so sharp that it now hurts me."

She looked at herself for one last time before the tears fell out of her eyes, undeniably heavy and full of sentiments and regrets for the mistake that she had done. The monster that she brought forth upon herself in spite of knowing the possible consequences.

The hard knock on her door shook up her so back that she almost slipped.

It felt to her like her innards almost threatened to come out of their mouth. Like every small hair on her arms would force itself out of their follicles.

"Honey, what is wrong with you? You haven't been out of your room for almost a day now. What is it? You have got to me, dear."

It was her mom.

 _Shit. This isn't happening right now. Of all the million possibilities, she had to knock that damn door right now? What do I do?_

Gwen felt desperate in need of someone, of something.

 _God, I need a miracle…._

She thought frantically a way to cover her back. The three pair of hands would creep the hell out of her mother.

Forget about creeping the hell out of her, Gwen would only be grateful that she does not have a heart failure.

She had to think of something right now.

"Honey I am opening the door right now."

 _Shit. Shit._

But it was already too late. The door swung on its hinges. The sound of the creaking noise freaked her out ever more because she knew that the more she would try to hide this thing, the more her mother would grill her and more to find out what it was that bothered her.

.

So she held her breath and waited for the inevitable to happen. She closed her eyes.

Her mom gasped with shock.

 _Ok. She saw me. She saw me_. _Shit I should have concealed myself. What the hell was I thinking?_ Gwen cursed herself.

"Gwen, honey what is wrong with you? What are you doing there standing naked staring at yourself?"

Her mother came into her room and pulled the drawer to pick out some clothes that were neatly stacked up.

"What?" Now it was Gwen's turn to be shocked.

 _She saw me naked and that is it? No arms?_

She opened one of her eyes and took a quick peek at the mirror trying a bit desperate to see her reflection, expected those deadly looking developing outgrowths at their early stages.

There nothing behind on her back. It was smooth. She turned to her left side, trying to see herself over her lest ass cheek. No marks or protrusions her on her back. Like there had been nothing on it.

It was almost like she had imagined the entire thing.

 _Where did they go?_

She quickly snapped back and looked at her mother who came forward and handed clothes to her.

Gwen tried to cover herself desperately.

But there was only one thought that she was spiralling and revolving around her head. She was happy that her mother did not see those arms.

Just after she had left there was only one question that was bothering her now.

Because she wanted to stay in her room for some more time, figure things out.

How could she control those arms? Was there any definite trigger? Or maybe her thoughts were enough to keep a check at it? She did not know.

She had work to do, now more than ever…

She had to take control on these things.

Putting on the dress that her mother handed to her, Gwen slinked back to her bed.

God knows what happened the moment when she closed her eyes, like she was sucked into the dark abyss.

And that night she slept soundly, without any stray thoughts to bother her.

A completely dreamless night, she had.

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Gwen got up early at morning.

She was surprised. There was no bed and the blades of the stationary ceiling fan was right beside her.

Like she was only a hair's breath away from it.

She was surprised to find everything upside down.

She realized that she was hanging on the ceiling. The tip of her fingers were stuck to the walls, like it was glued down and her feet was stuck to the ceiling, like she held on to her ground and like everything had been there just right before her memories filled her up once again.

Whatever that had happened to her, the serum, the arms that she had developed, everything filled up her head like as she came to a starting realization.

 _The previous night._

But Gwen had found hope, like she had started seeing the positivity in everything. Something was instigating her to see the good for all of this.

This would help her sort things out and things were going to be good.

But right now, how could she let herself go.

Gwen was still stuck to the ceiling. To her it felt like this was her normal position, like was her true equilibrium, she slowly let go of her hands and stood up. Her golden curvy locks of hair was the only thing that made her feel, like she was on the wrong plane.

She knew that somewhere deep inside the answer lay. Gwen closed her eyes, searched for it as she slowly willed herself to let go of the ceiling.

The gravity pulled her down. Every strand of her hair silky furled and it looked like everything had slowed down for a moment. It was like she was caught on a time warp, caught in an infinite space time loop where she could no longer fall down and act according to her own accord, just like the way she pleased but her hands and feet moved at the same speed at which she moved them, undeterred by the sudden slow of time.

She made an easy twirl and landed on her feet without even having to support her weight on her arms.

THUMP.

She stood up and there was a strange surge of renewed confidence in her. She could feel it so vividly like the last night, like today and the next day, like every day was going to be the start of something new from the beginning.

She had to get to school, so she looked at the mirror. One last time.

The morning light peeked behind a scraper and it fell on her like a sudden spark, igniting a sea of diamonds. Just like from the dark, a light breaking the silence.

There was something different about her. For some unknown reason, her features were more pronounced, more vivid whatever it had been before and her features were so much sharper.

Her eyes were the bluest of all blue, a shade even beautiful that the oceanic and cerulean blues, a shade darker and a tad bit lighter at the same time and an undeniable shade of yellow mustard along the blueness, like small cracks on glass.

Her hair had grown slightly darker the ends.

She looked like a carving of God himself, like he himself had come down and formed her out of his own hands. Like a female nephilim.

She had grown more lady like. Like a gorgeous beauty. Better than any model.

Such was the exquisite beauty that she had turned in to. More like a beautiful lady, than a hot babe.

She smiled at her reflection shyly and went back to dress up ready and eager now more than ever…

Her mind with endless possibilities, curiosities, what her body could turn out to be.

Because she knew that this was just the start of the manifestation of her muations.

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Peter's POV

Peter gasped for air. The exertion had a taken a serious toll on him.

There was nothing more he could do.

He had done all that he was capable of.

The Iron Fist wasn't faring well himself.

He somehow held his ground.

The brutal fight had sapped most of their energies and they could not push themselves any further.

But they had inflicted a lot of damage to him but his ability to heal himself was too uncanny.

The way he sucked on energy to regenerate himself was scary, although the last assault that the both of them had inflicted upon him was a bit too much. So the healing, was taking a bit more time than usual, but his bones and skin patched themselves up with phenomenal rate.

And it was no way fair to the two of them.

They had no backup. And they had only a normal healing except that of Peter but his healing and his reversion to his original self, was no way as powerful as Davos.

The Iron Fist pulled out a totem like device.

"Now what is that?" asked Peter, his voice showed no signs of restraint, the extreme frustration and the fatigue that he was going through, taking a serious toll on him. And he had already seen enough to not be surprised of anything else.

"Figured that this would be the last of the remaining means of capturing him." said Spidey as he got up to his feet.

"Alright then. I don't really have to know all that weird mojo that has been going on with your people but just tell me what to do. I am just beginning to get this would be another some kind of your precious relics." said Peter with a bit of weird accent that made him realise how pissed off he actually was.

"Just slow him down for me and leave the rest up to me." said the iron fist finally standing up and heaving his chest up and down.

His eyes were strained from the obvious extreme pain and exhaustion that he was in.

Peter looked at him as he tried to draw in energy and concentration as he drew in. He looked into those eyes of Davos and he found himself musing through a jolly kid, Davos' memories, difficult memories of a small boy in his past.

Peter leaped on his feet and checked on his web shooters. Should be enough to last him and also he had spare pellets stacked up in his utility belt.

He could do it.

All he had to do was trap and hold him down, long enough for Iron Fist to do his own mojo.

Peter leaped off and sprinted with everything that he had in him.

Davos was still dazed from the intensity of the last attack that the two of them launched at him.

Still the rate of his healing was almost instantaneous.

Peter launched a flurry of web balls at him, at his general direction.

The balls hit him with smacking noise as it hit his feet, heat and chest.

Davos struggled to move his feet.

But he was weak. He wasn't that strong enough now.

Every strand of his thread was almost capable of holding almost 50 times the weight of any commercial aircraft and tearing them apart now, provided the weak state that he was in was no joke.

It would take a lot more than strength or brute force to tear his way through, he intellect in which he lacked.

Still he did not pause his struggle.

The soil, and the rocky surface that he stood beneath was loosening up, the way he was struggling, the huge monster that he was, Peter, wasn't surprised a bit.

But still Spidey did not want to cut him any slack and leave him. He crawled on top of him and started to form a cocoon around him as quickly as he could, as efficiently as possible.

He crawled around Davos like he was his pray and there would be no absolute no way for him to escape from to him.

And Peter on the other hand had no intention of sparing any web fluid. He poured on more and more web around him, at first gluing his feet together first and then going for his hand as the other hand had no, material construct to it, so he let it remain hanging and sticking out as he dealt with the rest of his entire body.

Just like any spider looking for his prey, he pulled his other hand and twisted it hard and webbed it to the back of his hand, pinning him in the most atrocious way, a submission move. The most deadly he could think of.

He could hear the rapid beat of his heart as it struggled to cope up with the sudden pressure of his heart and the inability to move his limbs. And the other hand that was almost impervious to the human sight, was almost useless to him.

Peter did not leave even an inch of his skin, taking no chances.

He crawled around his body and as he moved up to his head and the neck.

Peter left just enough gap on his face to let breathe.

The savageness of Davos, his anger only made him struggle more and more against his wishes which made him panic even more.

It further emphasized him, the torture he felt for not having being able to free himself from the shackles that he was bound to.

Sensing the fear, Peter could tell that he had never been in such a 'sticky' situation ever. No one had ever ensnared him the way that he had just done to him.

He almost chuckled at himself, seeing his plight, the menace that he was proving to be before and now seeing him so helpless at the same time.

Just like a spider traps his prey and finally when the deed is almost done the spider would then begin to ingest its meal, taking all the time in its world without a care.

After completely engulfing his prey in his web, Peter leaped down and shot in some more web pinning him suspending him to the nearby trees and rocks till he was almost suspended mid-air.

Peter moved a few steps back.

He had done his work and now it was the Iron Fist's turn.

Iron fist ran quickly and leaped on top of him.

His fists glowing fiercely.

The talisman glowed in synchrony.

It was weird. But whatever that was, it was strong.

But there was something wrong about the way, he handled it.

And for some reason, the talisman, moulded around his hands, took the shape of his wrists and turned his hand into gold. The fingers resembled some priceless gems that Peter had only seen in museums and the History channel.

Spidey moved a few spaces back.

His spider sense had been warning him, the blaring inside his head, growing stronger by each and every step, Iron Fist took towards Davos.

He did not have to rely on his senses to tell him to get away from the Davos, to tell him that he was going to try something dangerous.

Iron Fist delivered a solid blow on his face.

The crunching sounds were horrifying.

The precise shattering sound of the breaking of every plate on his skull.

His nose hung at the most awkward angle Peter had ever seen any one do that.

That was when he realised of the devil that dwelt within every one.

Like a black rider that had a hand over all of us. Slowly and silently calculating, the inner dilemma that dwelt within all of us.

It was absolute, the only undeniable and unmovable fact.

Seeing Iron Fist tear at him, having his own way with Davos made him realise that fact.

The coolest and the only guy Peter thought to have filled with all human principles, priciples that would put the church at shame and that very guy had gone frustrated, long gone enough to drive him completely insane.

And there he was, just on the brink of stripping every flesh from The steel Serpent's body.

Peter had to stop him.

It was true that he wanted to be in Iron Fists position so very bad for pissing him. But he had to draw the line.

This is New York.

Protecting it had always been his greatest responsibility.

And that was his pride, he had to uphold it.

By any means if necessary.

The blinding light followed, took him by surprise.

He squinted his eyes.

He could distinctly see the light erupting from his fingers followed by a distinct hum, from his wrists.

It was so bright that it completely engulfed the Steel Serpent. Like he was shrouded of the heavenly light, like the ever forgiving aura of Kun Lun.

Davos' mouth opened up to a scream but the scream was doused under the low hum that had slowly begun to get inside spidey's head.

It was enough to make him realise that The Steel Serpent was really being subjugated so very bad and strong that it shook him, the pain and the hurt that he felt by whatever method he was being subjugated by the Iron Fist was really having an effect on him.

There was way one could deny that.

It took him some time for his hypersensitive eye to come back to its original state as the blinding light subdued.

Just during the final reminisce of the remaining rays of light, he saw something.

It looked as though Davos was being absorbed by the blinding light.

The hulking mass of Davos', his steroid induced muscular figure that would have been so impossible to miss, but now all that remained was a part of his face.

The cleansing light threatening to consume him, now without even a moment's grace.

Davos' eyes were mad.

Mad with rage and grief, like he was unable to understand.

The confusion and the rage lashed out altogether.

Peter could not help but feel a bit for him.

There was something more to his story that clouded Peter.

Something did not make sense.

Peter had faced many deranged people and all of them had at least some reason for their turning into the darkness that fed them, however lame the reason could have been, there was always a reason for their turning out to be demented.

Peter knew that it was something that didn't involve him anymore but he had to ask him later.

He had to know what it was all about.

By now the blinding night had covered up the entire space into blackness. Like the darkness being pried away from the everlasting light of the Lord's almighty touch.

Right then, his head sucked right inside the blinding light and right then the light left altogether and the weird feeling that Peter had been feeling all the time diminished slowly that felt to him like someone pouring icy water on him. The transition was unpleasant. He remembered, when he entered the black hole, was something different, more aggravated but there was something more. The experience was something but that wasn't just unforgettable but it was like a dream to him.

Space and time travel, black holes, dimensional rifts always had a special place in his heart. To him, it occupied a very unique position in his mind, solving the mysteries of the universe.

Following the incomplete works of Albert Einstein and his work on relativity, the postulates that he out forward.

He was more than stunned to take all of it in him.

The closing of the hole and the way it had opened up and the inbuilt resistance that Peter shared with the the rest of the people living on the other side.

A place that MJ had referred to as the heavens. Was it really possible?

Could he really find a way and go all the way up there.

How would the travelling seem?

Will it be a rush?

Will it be overwhelming?

 _Of course, its going to overwhelming. What did you think it would be, like travelling from New York to Sacramento?_

The questions stormed up his mind like fireworks.

The fight, the rift that had occurred, its effect on everything nearby, disrupting all the nearby communication channels, the continuous static within his ear.

It was like a can of gatorade for him that only the most interested and the insane meekness in him would get satiated by it. The entire thing.

The Iron Fist walked up to him.

Spidey stared at his hands.

His right wrist where the totem had constructively wound itself around his fingers envelope in his fingers, till it looked like an overpriced prosthetic jewelry.

It had come to its original shape.

"Did that thing absorb you pal right in there?"asked Peter hardly curious, by now, upon having seen almost everything, nothing would faintly.

He looked at the totem again again.

The shiny glow that had before the Iron Fist used it was replaced by a green deposit, like copper oxide and the patches of rust that it had was undeniable.

It no longer looked like it was really valuable.

But Iron Fist took care, of it, now more than ever, just like a small little baby that needed cuddling.

He careful placed it deep within small cloth pouch that he pulled out of the inner lining of his torso.

He turned it inside out. The inside looked like some kind of a smooth silky cloth lining, where he carefully placed the rotten worn out totem inside, like it were a small infant.

He tied it using a rope that was already sown to the mouth of the satin cloth pouch.

He tied it carefully and hung it around his waist.

The entire design was old school.

Still Peter ignored it.

He was just glad that it was over.

The fight had sapped just enough of his strength.

And he just wanted for all of it to be over for good. He was willing to let it all go.

Iron Fist came over to him.

His eyes looked distant. Like something dawning upon him, showing repose. His eyes showed gratefulness.

"Peter. You have my regards and my gratitude. I could not have brought him down without your help.". His fingers curled into a fist and he placed it on his chest and stared at Peter straight at him, looked into his eyes.

"I am sorry, for encroaching upon your privacy for everything that did that I know was wrong. I know I haven't been the most sublime at hiding myself out to you. But you have done your part and played it out the most beezer way you could. For that you will forever have my thanks."

Peter lifted his right fist as well and balled it to a fist mimicking him and placed it just above his heart.

"And now, since my work here is done you won't find me anywhere. I have to go back. Spells have to be placed so that the he doesn't escape anymore." Said iron Fist.

He brought his fist down and turned back.

"Back to heaven?" asked Peter.

"Oh if that's what you would like to call it.." he smiled slightly at him.

"How are you gonna go back?"

The Iron Fist did not turn his head back. He continued to walk into the dark depth of the blackness, the dawn creeping up on the night by now.

It was the light of heaven, the healing morning lights of Kun Lun.

Spidey got one last glimpse before he disappeared in it, in a small flash of light.

The dawn had begun to disappear slowly, his spider sense could register all of it. He disappeared right there, leaving behind small fumes at his wake. The night was had become black once again.

Peter just thought for a moment.

For some weird reason there wasn't any fatigue in his body. He felt springy and alive as ever but his mind was fatigued. He looked at himself there was nothing on him. Not even a scratch.

His costume was good as new.

Completely new, unscathed just before he had begun to fight.

It felt to him like everything had happened in just a blink of his eye.

He was just about to turn back with his mind confused as ever when the static greeted his ears once again.

The Agents were trying to contact him.

They wanted to know what had gone wrong. And he would have the most fascinating story to tell them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	15. Chapter 15

Gwen's point of view

For the first time ever. Everything was so well defined and distinct. Sharp and crystal clear.

It was like every dust mote that floated beside her in her room, screamed with the innumerable blemishes.

And everything that she was, it felt to her like light itself had a separate spectrum.

Gwen was enjoying every single bit, as every one by one her senses unfolded, revealing them to her.

Smell, sight, taste, touch.

And she became more intrigued to see the world as the way she thought Peter used to see.

 _So this is it, every time Peter sees the world. This is how everything opens up to him … and now to MJ._

She stared out of the glass window of her car, as she saw a whole new part of the world entirely.

It was ecstatic, it was overwhelming, it was speechless.

She continued her way up to her school grinning a little child.

And during the entire time there was this weird sensation inside his chest, like it was being emptied, hollowed.

She needed something. But she didn't know what she wanted.

But still she moved on.

What could actually go wrong right now, right?

She was ready to take on the world, now more than ever.

She leaped out of the car.

"Careful Gwen, you might fall." said her Mrs Stacy.

"Oh no mom, I don't think I will ever fall down," came back a perky reply from Gwen.

Mrs Stacy shook her head as Gwen leaped off and went to her school, the spring in her step undeniable.

Gwen on the other hand, felt like jumping, rushing, like her legs been sleeping for so long. She longed to run right now. Seeing her feet move across the pavement with quickness, she didn't even realize that she was actually running.

She knew that if she could right now, she could lift herself several feet of the ground and that won't be a big deal for her. It felt like she could hear her feet.

She could tear the streets and the asphalt if she wanted to.

And she wanted to do so, so very bad.

She knew that she couldn't.

She had to hold on to these temptations a bit longer now.

She had time with her.

She had could try so many things now.

The uncanny sense of clarity had suddenly had left her completely baffled.

She felt like she could know things, think of things. Like a part of her mind was unused, dormant. Like a completely separate part of her mind could process and slow the time to her needs.

She could see people slow down around her. Her actions were slow too but that was all up to her now.

She could move them and control the speed of her movement all up to her own accord and there was nothing stop her now.

The day was a breeze for her.

She could answer questions and could do her homework at the same time.

Like her mind was running on a completely different level and best of all it would always crank up with perfect ease to adjust, just to her needs.

Information retention and concept grasping was a joke to her.

When she saw the meaning to all this, there was one thing that was missing. Everything had been perfect except one small thing.

What was it?

Peter hadn't been to school that day.

Was that it?

She knew that something obviously off about him. Other than all the obvious facts that she knew.

She feel a link, a broken chain, left wild to move around, all rusty and dusty trying to clamp itself onto someone.

Was that Peter?

She had to figure it out. But she did not know how.

Maybe things were finally beginning to clear up now.

Maybe it was the sense that Peter had in him, the sense that he called the spider sense.

She was scared a bit. She was honest about that with her, but she was ready to take it all in.

Just at the end of the day, there was an alleyway up at the Midtown High.

Gwen quietly snuck herself out and stood there at the end of the wall, facing it and thinking about the time when she heard Peter tell her about the things the stuff that he had first felt when the spider bit him.

As she thought about them she could now relate the sensation that Peter might have felt and the sensation that she now felt, was like a lot lighter, almost synchronous to keeping her feet on the air, almost floating. The itchy feeling at the back of her waist and backbone had started to recur all over again.

But this time, she let it out.

She embraced it, wholly.

She wanted to take it all in, all at the same time.

So the arms manifested out of her but this time the time it took for complete manifestation was much less and quicker.

It tore the back of her black tank top thereby almost ripping her top to shreds but it came clean off this time out of her that left behind holes.

Once again the three pairs of hands came out flying out of her back. They were limp. Like senseless. Most of the time they were involuntary, like she was unable to completely control them to her wish, like it had a mind of its own.

She looked at the arms lying behind, limp, moving around here and there. It just felt like she was being subjected to a very high dosage of morphine at her back and hence her inability to sense anything other than that. There was this weird sensation right there, like her head trying to figure out a way to move the new limbs that had just suddenly come out.

She concentrated this time. Putting in just a fraction of her will to see if there was something that she could do to move them on her own accord.

It was difficult in the beginning.

She felt for her limbs first, tried to reach them like a pair of tentacles, shackling them, ensnaring them with her mind, to keep them under control, bend them to her will.

It took sometime but soon they were just like any other limb on her body. She moved her limbs and looked at every inch of her new limb, as Gwen twisted them around half expecting them to mutate into something else again.

She was on the cusp of mutation. Who knew that they would stop right there.

She tried to feel her hands this time with her own arms.

She felt like there was something inside her grow, like a protective shield around her. Her left and right hand moved and cusped her own new hands and squeezed it lightly. The feeling was of course completely different. But something about it, made her feel strangely soothing.

It was like a touching her back, but she was the person was her and the feeling was very faint..

 _Nice.. So what more can I do right now other take out extra limbs._

That was when her new hands went berserk. They almost felt like she was trying to mock them.

And in reply to her mocking, they pulled her. And they flung her body across at the wall.

The sudden movement and the ferocity with which she was thrown scared her.

She gritted her teeth and her hands and feet balled up, bracing in to take in the impact.

But only there was no impact.

Gwen slowly opened her eyes..One eye at a time.

Where ever she was hanging was rough, like bricks that made the wall that made the wall in front of her that she was looking at it.

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized when exactly what happened.

She was looking at an horizontal wall, like she was standing at it and it made no difference to her in any way.

She looked behind.

The broken pavement where she had been standing previously lay in front of her like a wall.

 _God, finally this is happening._

Gwen had been expecting this to happen anytime now.

"WHOWOHO". She screamed with excitement as the exhilaration was proving to be bit more to her.

She willed her arms this time to carry her forward. Her feet and her primary fore limbs complementing her thoughts and actions at the same time.

Her arms flowed along with the walls.

She was fast.

Her hair moved around wildly, along the direction of the wind.

Her eyes were wide with excitement.

Seemed to her like her speed increased with every pace.

Like every blink of her eyes were slow, the bricks moved past her, leaving behind only blurry outlines.

She reached the terrace of the building that she was on.

Her mind calculated side by side, clocked and imagined how much time would it take to reach the top floor.

It would have taken her not more than four seconds.

She was quick and so much fast.

Taking a mere four seconds to climb up to a terrace which was six floors was something was something.

She breathed in the air, the buildings lined up side by side.

Could she just leap off, just like Peter does? Those awesome jumps, long and quick that allows him to almost leap of from one building to the next without even using his web.

Could she do it?

The doubt and confusion toned her and deep within it conjured up something else.

It was almost like doubting her, rejuvenated her.

The adrenaline rush was what she needed to warm her up.

It tore her innards, the confidence was surging inside her.

She could do it.

She ran. Her feet almost covering two the three meters with every step she took. Felt almost like flying.

She reached the edge of the building and leaped off the edge.

She pushed herself.

Her legs and arms moved, tearing through the air. Like a streamlined body.

Almost like grasping the wing or rather, the wind carried her.

She plummeted down. The next building was already below her.

She lost altitude and her feet made the touch down, double rolling up to absorb the impact.

It was too easy for her.

Like she was born into it.

She smiled at herself.

Again she ran, leaped off the next building. It was a breeze for her. It almost felt like normal running to her.

She was going to enjoy even more.

It was more like a promise that she made to herself.

Peter was busy, she could handle herself.

She was independent. She could do it.

She leaped off building to building, trying to understand the magnitude of strength that she has now. The strength that she had on her fore and hind limbs.

Like they had remained latent for so long, aching to emerge out.

There was something going on with her wrists with all the four pairs of them.

Just then it had begun to itch violently, like a fungal infection but only this time it was something, a substance of great elasticity sticking out of her wrists and on top of that like several mosquito bits all together at once.

Gwen quickly paced to a complete halt. She started to itch her wrists like crazy.

She wanted to rip her wrists off.

The other pair of arms were somehow managing to keep the itchiness at bay but she had a very difficult time controlling the two primary arms of hers.

Gwen was getting really pissed right now.

Curse this itchiness.

It almost felt like something was trying to pry open her wrists to get out. Like tear through her flesh to get out.

After a few seconds of rigorous scratching she inspected the affected area that had been bothering her so bad, her wrists had become swollen and inflamed.

A whitish like fluid, a bit like a net like structure patch had developed on her wrists.

Her thought immediately moved to the one thing that she wanted so bad along with the rest of her powers, just like MJ had.

Her own biological webbing and that she no longer had to depend on any external device like the ones Peter had.

Only then she would show Peter that she is a force to reckon with.

She was going to show it.

Although she hated to say it, but to her it was more of personal vengeance for her.

After what that has ever happened, after everything that has happened…

That was it.

She would be the best there is.

The determination that flowed within her was like iron.

Unbreakable and infrangible by nature and for some reason, her resolve had become more iron clad now..

She pointed her wrists up in the air. She had to get this done.

She had to get this done absolutely right.

She focussed on the next building. She concentrated hard.

Brought her right wrist and aimed at the small edge of the wall.

She willed her webs to fly away.

No.

It was not going away.

She removed her focus and looked back, stared at her right and left wrist.

 _How will I ever get them to work?_

She thought hard.

Gwen pinched her wrists hard, trying to pull out the web strands from her wrists but to no avail.

It remained right in its place.

Like a small pool of silvery fluid.

She jerked her hands hard.

But that did not help her.

She sat down.

Right on the floor, a bit dejected but what could she do?

Suddenly she looked at the three pairs of arms that had erupted from her side, the ones that bore large holes on her tank top.

They had the same small pool of silvery fluid.

Organic webbing that was derived from her blood itself. That her body created.

She took a very good look at her wrists and saw a small puncture with an even smaller holes, like spinnerets on it, all of them held together by muscles.

If this was the case, she had to find a way for her muscles to contract and expanded so that holes might just open up.

She quickly moved her wrists, twisted it at awkward angles trying to finds a way out, any position that would allow her to open up those small holes spinneret holes.

Moved her fingers, bent her thumb, even curled up her middle and ring finger but stretched her fore and pinky finger out stretched it, moved it up and down.

Nothing was helping her.

Now by some very crude and futile attempt, she felt like something spoke to her in an unconscious manner, call it the way of the spirits or simply fate, Gwen felt like someone picked her hands up and straightened it up such that this time her middle and ring finger was faced up, the fore and pinky fingers were outstretched as usual but this time they were just inverted.

Keeping that position, she involuntarily put pressure on the two fingers right at the small of her wrist.

She could see why.

This action pulled the tendons ion her system, forcing the muscles to expand and stretch out vertically, that left behind a small void which ultimately opened up the spinnerets.

Web shot out, like a high powered water gun.

The force was so large that the stream of web travelled past the adjacent building just before falling down after maintaining the trajectory for some time.

"Whoa"

She knew that this was real.

She looked back. Her extra limbs were limp, just awaited for her command.

They looked tamed, for now. Just almost dead, it was almost like mocking her.

The extra pair of hands that she had, were a pinnacle. Like they had a separate conscious of their own but with only one exception.

She could force her will on them but other than that they were basically wild, like the children of the night.

She concentrated and reached for the hidden consciousness, that lay deep within, embedded somewhere deep inside her spinal cord, the involuntary reflexes that triggered such movements inside her, that controlled her arms.

She placed them and tried to force her will on them.

They the consciousness bended and folded on her will.

She did the same for them, put thoughts into her involuntary senses, the way she found out the means to shoot webs.

The way Peter shot webs.

The it struck her. That was it..

That had been the missing link all along.

That was the very way Peter shot webs, the way Peter and Gwen had helped him develop his shooters.

That was the way he could vary the size of the nozzle that opened up the spinnerets that were attached and cone ted to his web pellets.

It had to be it.

It was just like the link Peter had told her about once MJ was injected with the engineered version of his venom.

She had grown quite once again.

Peter.

She loved him.

Crap.

She couldn't get over him.

That was the same thought once again.

She felt bad once again.

Gwen pretended to be strong. Like she could easily get over him but the fact was that it was impossible for her.

She loved him.

She sat down once again.

Her feelings had become intensified and this time it was so overwhelmingly intensified that thwre was nothing she could do except cry her eyes out.

The sun shone upon her golden head, as sparkling tear drops fell from her eyes, like small diamonds that caught the sunlight and reflected it with all its might.

A piercing shriek snapped her out of the mental agony that she was in, raising her head quickly and brought her to the stunning reality that she was in.

She quickly ran and looked down. There were four men, in shabby clothes dressed in rags and two of them had knives and the other two had a revolver.

They had cornered a lady.

It looked like she was in her early thirties.

The lady was undeniably just like her, a hand bag slung by her shoulders, just like the day when she had become the victim of the assault. That fateful day, her experience was still etched deep into her mind. Still ever so fresh.

And Peter was just in time to help her out.

Get her out of the sticky situation and helped her reach her apartment.

She was lucky that day.

The four men now completely surrounded her. The two of them, the ones with knives pulled her bag away from her and flung it away from her.

She screamed helplessly.

This is what New York has slumped to. These people didn't even wait for the dark.

It was still broad day light. The afternoon sun was shinning over their heads with ferocity.

She had to help her. She had to instill manners in theses rotten pieces of meat.

Thoughts came pouring out of her head like an untamed river, her flow of thoughts were dangerously fast.

What she would do after getting down there?

That was the first question that struck her mind.

The precognitive sense that Peter had told her about had not kicked in inside of her and the other two of them had guns.

How could she save herself when herself was so unsure?

She cursed herself. The fear was getting her.

Made her quiver and shake violently deep inside.

This made her want to bawl out.

So that was it. This was all she could do.

The woman down below had no means of protecting herself and she was getting taken down for this. She tried desperately to kick them out of her way but no.

These men were strong and burly.

They won't go down easy.

They ran back to her. Trailed her, followed her.

Gwen looked at all of this. The incident kept playing through her head.

A lady in her prime was going to be assaulted right before her and she was just not brave enough to stop them.

Why?

Just because she was too concerned about her own safety.

So this is what she had slumped to.

But Peter in the other hand looked out for the people. Even when hope was bleak, he would make it a point to find some, in the blackest of all nights and this was something she admire him for so very deeply and on the other hand there was something different about her.

She felt something that was so much synchronous to anger but there was something more to it.

The anger had come from deep within, the very inside of her which tried to break her down, had now become her driving force.

Gwen's eyes had grown serious now. No hint of anything scary, she was confident and she could do it.

She would break their bones just like Peter had done to her assaulter.

The anger that she felt for those assaulters now was impalpable.

The assaulters had already pinned her to a distant wall. One of them slashed his knife on her a twice, that cut the jacket that she was clad in and while the other rummaged through her roughly. Another one had placed his huge hands over her mouth that almost covered her entire face.

Her eyes were cringed up with fear and eyebrows arched up in the extreme pain she was being subjected to.

Something snapped inside Gwen. She couldn't wait a second longer.

She quickly pulled out her scarf had been tucked in her pocket and she turned it into a small mask that covered the lower portion of her face.

She leaped down.

Down the six floors and landed on her legs bending ever so slightly to absorb the impact.

A dull thus escaped her feet as soon it made contact with her feet.

The assaulters had not seen her drop by. They were completely oblivious to whatever was happening behind them.

The four of them were already busy pulling this and that from her.

Tearing up her clothes just like the assaulter had done the same in her case.

The women who had her mouth cupped and covered looked over at Gwen.

She was scared scared shitless.

Gwen could see the faint movement of her jaws and she could vaguely make out "Help me".

Seeing her diverted attention, one by one those assailants turned back to see her.

One of them ran up to her flicking his knife in his wrists.

Going for her face.

The cruel face that the man had looked so very bad that made Gwen want to bash his head into a pile of shit, plant him along the garbage where he deserved to be anyway.

The man had just come within her striking range.

Gwen stayed right there where she stood, she was just getting ready to try an upper cut that she had seen in the Rocky movie that was being screened a few days when she had been all alone, coped up in her bed, with nothing better to do.

She bend down and was just about to do it.

Something snapped behind her back.

Like a ballistic missile, it flew out from her sides and hit him square on the stomach.

The impact was so tremendous that his abdomen had a virtual cavity, a depression formed on it as he took off flying mid air doubling over as his body curled up as any human's desperate physique is to turn over and curl up to absorb the piercing pain that spread through its body like a million syringes poking him at the same time.

His face had put up the worst form of contortion that any human could ever make in history.

As he took flight, like a rag doll as he went and hit one of the assailants who was busy pointed a gun at the hostage, threatening to blow her brains off if she ever made any stupid move.

The remaining two of them stared at her, staring at her wildly with those blank eyes of theirs.

Gwen stood there for a moment, contemplating slowly, comprehensively and meticulously.

What had just happened?

She was going to hit that person but something else got to him.

It was not her fist that got the wind knocked out of his out of his lungs but the sweet feel of her fist connecting with the putrid stink flesh of his was something else entirely.

She was sure of it.

It felt to her like she had punched the first guy but she knew better. The truth was that that she never moved arms.

Her eyes did not betray her.

There was something up.

This time the other guy pulled out a revolver from the back of his overcoat and pointed it at Gwen, his hands were shaking horribly.

Who could blame him?

He was scared shitless.

Mustering all the courage that was left in him, he fired a few rounds at Gwen.

The sound of the bullet firing, the muzzle flash, the feeling of the bullet just barely missing her, pushed her adrenal glands pumping adrenaline into her system.

Intoxicated by the overwhelming amount of adrenaline rush, she took one step.

That was what it felt to her.

A single step was all Gwen needed to come around to him, get inside his circle.

Again right then something grabbed the gun and knocked him with the grip of the gun so hard that he fell down head first on the ground.

She felt the weird sensation again, like she had actually done that, like a physical memory.

The force that she would have felt when she would have actually done that.

Of course, it was her extra set of hands.

How could she have forgotten about them, the blinding speed movement that was almost unregister able by her own mind.

What was up with those freaky arms of her?

But Gwen was already drunk with the sudden surge of strength and confidence, like she was unstable, which she really was.

Guns or not. There was absolutely no chance that they could get her.

Freaked out by the sudden turn of events, the last remaining guy instead of turning back and running, he picked up a pistol, that lay on the ground beside him and without thinking he emptied the entire clip, all twelve of them.

The bullets made waves in the air. She could feel them, a sense tore her up, and once again this time, all her hands tore out and emerged from her tank top.

She dodged.

That was all she did.

Dodging like crazy, her arms twisted her, turned her around, her own sense and the involuntary actions from her spinal cord guided her.

Gwen felt the world spin, twist and turn at the same time.

She felt the webs fly out from her wrists as she made her way to her attacker.

Gwen now, stood just a few feet walking at a leisure pace, cracking her knuckles as she went on.

Still the attacker fumbled before her.

He desperately tried to press open the magazine release. His fat thumb kept moving away from the button, slipping every time.

He was scared.

His nose ran, tears rolled down his face.

Finally he fell down to his knees, as he let go of the gun.

The clanking sound was too distinct.

The surrounding had grown quiet.

It was very obvious. Late in the day, if anyone begins to shoot the people, it is bound to get noticed.

People had slowly began to flock the area.

Gwen let go of the man.

He was scared out of his wits.

 _Let that will be his lesson. Never to take on any women._

And as for the woman. She looked at Gwen as Gwen looked at her.

She looked like she was literally struck by lightning.

They were vaguely similar, except the fact that Gwen had a scarf that covered the lower region of her jaw.

The woman was just a few inches taller than Gwen.

She went and hugged her tight.

Gwen was suddenly taken aback by the sudden touch.

Her perceived notion was that Peter was always hated by people and there was a small fraction people that always cheered for him and maybe this girl fell within that same group.

"Thank you. I thank you, whoever you are beneath that scarf. But it will better if you go away right now. people have started to flock up now behind you." said the woman, now wiping the last tear drop that hung on her cheek.

Gwen was overjoyed.

This was the satisfaction that Peter felt whenever he saved some one.

It was like a drug to her.

It was made her so happy. Made her ecstatic.

Gwen crawled back to the sixth floor of the building, in a jiffy as the people now swarmed over the area as the police siren followed the commotion.

She leapt forward and back, trying to swing by zip lining across, although she failed in doing that, she was happy.

She realized that they society would do a lot good, if she could really lend a helping to the people of New York.

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So guys that is it. Hope that you liked the two chapters.

And I hope you have been able to take the hint of the next main villain.

The villain that has always challenged Peter every time, testing his resilience, strength and his presence of mind.

Anyway hope that I have been able to satisfy you.

And once again any doubts and queries feel free to leave a PM or a review.

:)


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note -  Hello once again. This process of juggling of characters is a lot more difficult than I expected it to be. Anyway, I really did enjoy trying to complete this chapter.

And of course a thanks to Highlander348 and Ravenmore45 for the awesome suggestions. I hope that I have been able to satisfy you with my story.

And I am so very thankful for the reviews that all my readers has left out for me so far.

Half of my motivations comes from them so hats off to you guys. J

Anyway please don't forget to leave reviews and rate this chapter.

And as always I don't own any characters of Marvel.

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Peter's POV

Peter was writhing in confusion. His head felt like it was about to burst, like a watermelon.

After everything that has happened, it had had to end up with MJ once again.

Time and again he found himself stuck in the same place with the same person again and again, right in front of him, fighting for her own life.

But Dr Jemma Simmons had assured him that there was really nothing to worry. And that she would patch her up, good as new.

Peter just sometimes wondered how long this would keep going on and on.

It was all the same again, the familiar feeling of déjà vu.

Other than the type of injuries that she sustained.

The steady sound of the pulse rate monitor was the only thing that was keeping him sane.

Peter trusted her, but still his head kept bugging him, like someone kept stamping over his grey matter again and again.

He had to find a way to pull this through. It would be dawn anytime now and Peter had to be in his bed, just in time for his aunt to wake up.

And if she found out his empty unslept bed, she would freak out even more, now that she knew what Peter had always been up to and on top that involving MJ along the way.

Doing all kinds of dangerous stuff, maybe even went physical, whatever MJ did as Peter went out at, the increased outdoor activities that she indulged in and now even involving MJ, her repeatedly getting hurt, the unexplained bruises and cuts that she had to explain to her aunt every day. Well both aunts May and Watson.

Aunt May saw a daughter in her. Always showing and acting concerned and trying to do the best for her. Just like the way she did for Peter.

She had to make up stories trying her best for her aunts to see reason and that sometimes that rendered her severely weak and especially with nowhere else to go to, no one else to, it was obvious for her to be scared, with no one else to look out for as she herself was scared for what would ever become of her.

That was where Peter came in.

She could at least relate to him.

The way Peter handled his dual life was like a pro and MJ had to draw inspiration from him.

And there she was, once again she was lay back in the same familiar white sheets, back in her bed, Dr Simmons looming over her with a clipboard in hands, making sure her vitals were all in check.

All of this was making him sick. He moved back and sat down on one of the med bays.

Agent Fitz hurrying to him.

"Yo, my man. I know. You might find it a bit difficult to make us actually understand whatever that has been going on with you and especially that fight. Oh god, that was way over my head. The way you said, I mean it might be just theoretically possible, but practically, I myself have never heard of anything so absurd. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but I had to say this out loud. Anyway, as you said that all of this is really over, I guess, we could cut ourselves some slack now, huh?"

Fitz gave him a lofty childish grin. But his face could not hide the traces of chagrin, ripe on his face.

He was trying his best to lighten his mood.

But none of that was not at all helping Peter.

"Fitz I really appreciate for what you guys have been doing, but this is something I could never celebrate. This isn't the first time Mary Jane has been stuck in that same place once for which I am to directly blame for it. So I can't really celebrate about it. And every time I know that she might just pull through but what about her feelings? Have you ever thought what she might go thorough, again and again going through the same arc of traumatising experiences, every time being revived from the jaws of death? Oh boy….". Peter sighed.

"This is not cool and not all far for her. My closest friend lies there fighting for her life not that I don't trust Dr Simmons but I just sit down here like a dumb clueless boy only praying that she recovers quickly. God I should have been there right in her place for all that matters. Whatever that has happened to her, should have happened to me. And that was what I had signed up for and not her but how come she ends up there and not me. I am the devil right here. Imagine the cruel things that I might have done to deserve this kind of faith, to watch my friend getting ploughed down in front of my eyes again and again without anything to do."

Peter could feel his body vibrating, the likes that was rattling him the most ever since he found out that it was indeed Dr Connors with that crazed mutation roaming the streets in the form of a giant lizard.

"Now now. you have got to calm down."

Fitz slowly got up and patted him.

It felt soothing to him.

Human touch seemed to take away at least eases almost half of his pain. That is what staying with Gwen taught him. She comforted him like no one else.

Gwen.

Gwen. Oh Shit.

He had to speak to her.

It has been so long.

God knows, what she would be thinking right then, problem thinking why he hasn't contacted her.

He would make sure that everything would be alright.

Things had been crappy enough.

Once MJ gets patched up, Peter vowed to make everything the way they were. Nothing would ever destroy the daily monotonous routine that he had.

The routine in which he was the hero, the one who puts his life in danger to save people and protect the people he cared about the most, where he would risk his ass out.

He was ready to do all of it.

He just wanted to go back. Back to his old room.

Back in the familiar scent of his pillows and the creaking of the floor boards.

But for now he had to think of making up to Gwen.

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Gwen's POV

Oh, God!

That rush felt good.

She made her way back to her class, crawling and jumping trying to swing occasionally, using her new found powers to the fullest, and of course her extra arms. She had real fun.

Especially since her arms would obey her thoughts only when in danger but most of the time, they acted mostly on reflexes. Unless she forced to subdue them, to come under her command.

And once again, the day was frustratingly long and so very boring.

Peter did not show up. The entire day was like he didn't exist.

He should have called her up at least once.

 _Let him found out the hard way, then._ Thought Gwen.

 _This is my life. I will do whatever I want to do. Why the hell should I care about him?_

The more Gwen trued to be cold towards him, there was something that she felt.

A distant feeling. Almost like sadness built somewhere inside her. Somewhere within her.

She knew that it was not at all true for her. Cause she knew that she was lying to herself. She was trying to be brave without him. She tried to think that she didn't need hi, but deep inside she knew that she needed him.

Was that the void?

Was that the thing, something that she could never connect herself? Something that was off within her, almost like a part had been locked up within her.

She felt that familiar feeling that had been building inside of herself now.

She knew that it was nothing positive.

It was deep and heavy. Almost like an interloper.

Morose like something was wrong.

But she knew that nothing was actually wrong with her.

Everything was fine with her unless it was something else.

The class bell had already rang.

Gwen made no attempt to move away from her seat.

She remained seated right there as the class poured out into the hall way.

She waited all of them to leave and in the meantime, she pretended to do nothing but peruse through her notes, trying not to draw any attention towards her.

Right then one of her classmates stood up to her, Rita spoke to her.

"Hi, there. Looks like you are looking for something. Can I help you out?"

"No. thank you, I am just trying to look for this…" She pretended to look for something, like something that was important to her. She rummaged through her backpack, pulled out a stack of books. A small trinket like from the corner of her bag, onto the floor.

That trinket.. It was a kind of a small cute looking totem, that had silver embroidered around it that had two embossed words on it – Luck and Hope.

It had been so long since she last saw that piece of jewellery. It was a kind of a lucky charm that her father got her for her birthday when she was fifteen years of age. She looked at it fall down in slowly, almost calling her and mocking her, catching and reflecting the tiny amount of light every time it twirled, each time everywhere like it was trying to illuminate trying to show her a path towards hope and love.. It would have a piece of cake of her to grab it right there in mid-air. The small on her back had already began to itch, thinking of forcing its way out of its shackles so that it could catch it.

But no.

Gwen was quick enough to get a grip on herself before her extra arms could erupted right from her back and … there was actually no use in thinking what would have actually happened by that time. She would not be careless. Being careless would cost heavy on her, not like she cared but there was this moment, like something inside her told her to.

Like a guiding voice.

The first time ever like she finally realised what had been missing inside from her.

It was like having a part of Peter inside her. His views, his thoughts everything seemed so familiar to her somehow.

It was Peter.

It had to be him.

Now when she thought of him, it seemed to her like the voidness inside her fill up, slowly. Like there is finally warmth in the cold deserted part of her residue heart, which she thought it to would freeze over as there was life throbbing inside that part.

She clutched her heart, grasped it hard, as the sudden growth of emotions overwhelmed her, under its weight as it grew progressively.

It was painful and hard. Her father and then that overwhelming emotion of Peter being inside of her, mentally like a part of resided within her, like he was a part of her.

Like there was something that could be nothing more fulfilling than him.

"There it is. Found it."

Gwen bent down quickly and picked up the trinket, partly because she wanted to hide her face. Heavy tear drops fell on the floor, like she had no control.

Gwen picked it up and placed it on her palms.

She looked at it like it was some lost distant memory.

She planted a light kiss on it, feeling the cold metal meet her luscious lips before shoving it straight into her pocket.

"Oh, what is that?" asked Rita seeing Gwen all leering over a small shiny metallic object as Gwen shoved in inside her breast pocket.

Just typical girlish curiosity over shiny objects. Who is to blame?

Gwen quickly got up and pulled herself from her moment of distress.

One of her most impressive feats of her strength is her complete control against all emotions, like she could keep a straight face and even when nothing is right going on with her.

She wanted her to stop asking all about this. This particular thing had great sentiments for her and she didn't want it to share it with anybody.

But Rita on the other hand was not going to give that up easily, she kept pestering and bothering her, where she had got such a jewellery.

Whatever it was, it was quaint and beautiful. Pleasing to the eyes, like you could never tear your gaze away from it.

Gwen slowly came out of her classroom, with Rita behind her, the persistent character that she was, she never let go of her, till she would another glimpse at it which might later lead to touching them, prying into them that was very much against her comfort level and girls like these, Gwen had seen enough of them to know how exactly to deal with them. They would only rest till they had seen enough of it, till their monstrous need of inflicting pain in others or more of their curiousness is satisfied, till their never ending need is completely satiated and that wasn't fair.

She won't show it again and again. It was a mistake. She never imagined it to be there first of all or else she would have removed it. But truth be told, she had never thought of that token of self-retrospection to find her in that way. It was way too creepy for everything that had been going on around.

First her powers, that horrible feeling of emptiness that could be filled by Peter and now the long lost totem that had finally found her.

It just wasn't a show piece that was left to be tampered with.

That particular piece held great meaning to her and she would never anyone see it. The values that had been embedded in it.

True she didn't understand all of that when she was small, well who would give a shit to all of that, when you are young and carefree.

Gwen, seeing a chance, scurried quickly behind a crowd of her friends with Rita tagging right behind her.

She didn't give her a chance. Her extremely honed senses and mathematical probability just chalked out the right way, all of that could go away, only if she willed it. She just had to will, all of that to make this happen and the rest would fall right to its place.

Gwen disappeared behind them, making it the perfect cover and her newly found nimble body further dodged, pushed and ducked around and disappeared right in the crowd leaving Rita far behind.

Gwen chuckled to herself.

This was fun.

It was endless.

It was like trying out every single stuff now but only it had only more enjoyable now.

It wasn't long before Gwen finally managed to get herself ahead through the crowd.

She walked out of all that ramble quick and smooth.

Hassle free.

As she moved about, she could see heads turning around to look at her.

It was not like they had never seen her before, the boys and even the girls turned around to look at her.

Most of them waved at her while the boys hushed, talking quickly and murmuring something intelligible.

Something among them perked up her attention.

So she concentrated on them.

Even though she was five to six meters away from them, their whispers were loud and clear to her, like her subconscious, amplifying the frequency of their voices, their whispers now almost equivalent to that of someone's voice speaking a bit loud than their normal voice.

True it was a bit difficult at first.

The first time it was like taking in all of the squabble that went on around her.

The rustling of leaves and the movement of ants looking of every ounce of food it could look for, just seemed to be too loud.

It took her a good ten seconds to get all of it inside her, process all the millions of thoughts that were in such turmoil, stabilize them at the same time, but still she had it done.

Their thoughts flowed inside her as she made them a part of her now, which made their conversation like she was a part of them right there, like they were speaking about her right in front of her which just made it so very weird.

Still the complements and the way they spoke about her made blood rush on her skin.

Goodness, how come they could ever think of such things like that.

Boys were sure creepy. But no doubt, but she felt special, like she had attention.

Well who doesn't like attention?

Gwen looked down, she could feel the smile creeping up on her face, no matter how hard she tried to stop it, but no avail. It was like the moment she tries the more ruthless her instincts fought against her, like demanding a need to project that smile and especially when she was hiding it.

Especially how magnificent she would look if the boys saw her flushed skin and her partially parted lips to give that beautiful smile.

Something in her took pride in all of it, although she didn't want any of it but the way it kept coming back to her, she couldn't stop it.

She scuttled quickly away from all those raunchy thoughts cause she knew that she would explode right there. And the way they were laughing, oh …

Come on, she as a girl in her teens, thoughts like this would further pull open the curtain the veiled that carnal desire that all animals possessed, that primal instinct, however controlled they were.

After all man was indeed an animal.

She quickly jogged past the school bus and thought of just jogging all the way to her place.

She had to let go all of that "energy" that was building inside of her.

So she turned and turned where ever she felt like taking turns, like every turn in every street, was like a decision that she made.

Anyway she had nothing to do at her home anyway.

All her tasks were completed, all she needed now was some lone time and that would be exactly how she would be spending the remainder of the day.

As she turned on, here and there, jumped above obstacles, like she was the wind, like an unhindered force of nature.

She felt a presence sneaking up to her.

Yet it was vaguely familiar.

Something it was, different but a lot like Peter. Was it Peter?

His weight, his vibrations, the million times that he walked past her, every second that she spent with him, she knew him better than anyone else.

She stopped suddenly right there suddenly and turned and looked around, had hoping him to pop behind her any moment now.

There he was perched on a residential; block, perched up like the way he does, the way he creeps up to her apartment.

No she turned and looked at him completely, looking at him completely.

She was angry.

Gwen's anger now sky rocketed seeing him all pleading doe eyed, the time when he removed his masked face.

"Oh, you are one cheeky fellow aren't you?"

 _"_ _Gwen, Gwen please I can explain."_

"Oh, shut up, please do shut up, or else there would be no stopping between the two of us right now. Parker, you are a real peace of shit. You know that. I am gonna rip your head off and now that I am perfectly capable, I would do that to you in a heartbeat. And I won't be quick. I really won't spare you."

 _"_ _Wait how did that just happened? I heard you speak but you didn't even open your mouth."_ Gwen looked at him now more confused than ever.

"Something was wrong, something was off." She looked back at Peter still clad in his red and blue tunic, looked at her, like he could hardly believe his luck.

He put a palm on his head and scratched his mask just hard enough, almost threatening to tear it off.

 _"_ _Follow me."_

"Follow you? Where?" Gwen yelled at him, seeing him all perched up in his position and how cool he was, it still seemed to piss her off even more.

Still she followed him, leaped and jumped as Spiderman continued forward, enterd a tumble down shack and did all he could do to keep him at par on the ground level, so that Gwen would have no problem in tracking him down.

He looked her, the ease that he maintained in keeping pace with him, and her natural instinct to develop a likeness towards it.

Gwen looked at Spiderman, as he made her found in somewhere deep, where there wasn't any one nearby. Gwen leaped up a building, her equilibrium changing and shifting as she saw fit, making her grasp wall, almost running on them like it was a child's play.

Still, Gwen couldn't hide that smile.

Just as she reached Peter, he quickly opened his mask and stood there right at the centre of the terrace that they would prove them a perfect cover, from all of the prying eyes that could wreck a solid havoc if anyone saw the two of them, especially J Jameson, another scoop for his damning stories and his stupid baseless exemplum and the numerous complaints out of which most of them were made out.

He looked around once more just for the sake of his security.

Then he pulled his mask from his face and turned to face Gwen once again.

Gwen looked at him.

Circles under his eyes told a story of his own.

"Gwen I am really sorry for whatever I put you through, but what did you just do?"

Gwen looked away from him, and turned to face the distant lined trees that were lined against one another, the afternoon sunlight canopying the ground below and looked far away.

She knew what exactly he was talking about. The mutations that now gave her spider like powers. She could sense that intense feeling, that deplorable feeling and impuissance that was tearing through him.

She felt bad and she wanted him to see the things the way she saw them.

"Why do you care about that now? Whatever I did, it was for my own free will and most of all I wanted it. I don't care, if you approve this decision of mine or not but this is exactly the way I wanted it to be."

"Gwen. I am sorry for not being there for you. I really am, I know that you are pretty pissed at me and I am the only reason, behind all of this, but listen to this, I have a pretty good reason for all of this. Trust me, please, Gwen. You have to believe me."

Gwen knew that she was being rough on him and somewhere deep inside his heart she felt it.

His pain, his guilt.

She had never intended for him to go this rough on him but still she decided to play on it.

Peter's face mused, shifting through his pensive intense moods and stares.

Gwen could also feel something like a giant wave building inside of him.

She felt it intensify inside him, like it was made if iron, a blacksmith hammering a piece of iron.

She could feel him.

His heartbeat.

The faint lub dub sound that his heart kept making, beating and pumping blood furiously through his veins.

"I know Gwen. You are feeling all of this. This intensified feeling, it is all the same with you. I can feel you as well. Just the way you feel are understanding me.."

Gwen gasped.

 _"_ _How did he do that? He says he can feel me.. How is that even possible?"_

 _"_ _And Gwen, Our minds are mentally linked. Like quantum entanglement. So whatever you think, I will know the same thing."_

"Really, a special connection between us just like the one you and MJ share. Oh, so you mean to say you know exactly what I am thinking?" Gwen challenged him. Her head reeled at this.

Quantum entanglement. This is huge. Why haven't I thought of this?

"Ok, right then, tell me what exactly am I thinking right now?"

"Gwen, all of this pretty useless, believe me. And especially don't you really feel this weird thing between us. Happened to me as well, I could feel something creeping up inside me. Just listen for once please Gwen. I know exactly what you have done to yourself. I know that you took my blood, reverse engineered a serum out of it and used the extrimis as an accelerant. You know that I should not be knowing all of this stuff right but you see that is the thing. The same thing happened with MJ and me as well. The two of us could read each other's thoughts. Its like we are more or less linked. Like a single mind but two bodies, something roughly of that sort. And hence quantum entanglement."

That was the missing peace that Gwen always felt missing inside her. The hollowed out feeling, like a part of her head wanted to be filled by someone else and now that Peter had mentioned it.

All of it fell down like puzzle pieces.

That was her answer right there.

Gwen turned around. She didn't feel like looking at him.

Her hatred inside grew inside somehow but she knew all of that won't matter much because she loved him.

 _"_ _Gwen, please please, we can sort all of this out together. We can do it together. You know that I love you right. All of this it doesn't matter to me anymore. We can be together. We can …"_

Peter sounded so hopeful, like Gwen had been just waiting to jump in his arms.

But it was not like that.

Just before Peter could ever think of completing his thought that was flowing out of him, Gwen quickly turned to him and hugged him tight.

"Wow, Gwen you sure have a good grip now."

She could feel Peter hugging her back.

The same familiar smell of him, the brown hair that was plastered on his forehead due to sweat.

Gwen wanted to live in him.

And for some reason, she knew that Peter could sense all of that.

Gwen removed herself from her grip and looked at him once again.

"Peter." She whispered. "Oh, now I do don't I honey?"

Gwen could have been arrested right there.

She was transfixed by him just like he was to her womanly beauty and dripping with maidenliness.

"Peter I love you. You know that more than anyone in this world, right. And you will never know how hard its been for me realising that the two of you to be all around together now, you babysitting her most of the time. And that has been really bothering me. I know that I sound a little crazy right now but that is the sole and the ultimate truth. I have always been an open book to you and for always I will be for that matter."

Gwen looked at him again, stared deep down into his smooth, warm and comforting caramel brown eyes.

He smiled at her warmly.

"Gwen. It will always be you for me. And it had=s always been you. I have never even had a serious relationship without anyone other than you and I promise you that I will make "us" last."

Peter placed a warm kiss on her forehead and took her in his embrace again.

Gwen could feel tears building in her, now threatening to fall any moment now.

But the warmth of his embrace was holding her up, just fine.

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Peter's POV

Except the screw up that Gwen did to herself, everything was looking bold and strong for him.

MJ was up and early, and as usual, he came in and the two of them walked to college together.

She looked fine. Not a single scratch on her perfectly toned body.

Apparently her instantaneous healing helped her recover from the worst, so she came back somehow.

No one could ever look at her and make assumptions about the massive battlefield that had left her so broken and battered, tell her the massive battled that she had faced with Peter.

She was absolutely fine and he was eager to meet Gwen once again in his classes.

"Hey, you look chirpy. What is it? You were gloomy the entire day yesterday." enquired MJ, a bit curious to why the sudden change in his nature.

She pried in his head, like playing foosball, turning and twisting the handles and to get the answer all she had to do was score, which was too easy for her.

And Peter didn't mind.

He let her look inside himself.

"Uh oh" MJ squealed a bit.

All of that intimacy, the in depth of the amount of closeness, really took her off guard, took her by surprise, she couldn't handle it. Peter could see her slowly going a bit red.

Peter could sometimes feel something weird between the two of them, although he never mentions it.

She was his best friend and there wasn't anything that could be done any way in this regard.

Peter was seriously committed with Gwen and he would definitely hold his end of the bargain chip.

Peter felt his consciousness being pried once more, the way Gwen preped up the concoction.

It was really awesome for her to do all of that all alone. That is really commendable.

"Goodness me, she actually figured out a way to do all that right? Like she is also a part of our connection now, isn't it? But I have never felt her ever in mine."

Peter could feel the unwantedness in her voice. It was almost like the swallowing venom for him.

 _Was there a bit of hostility towards her, that Peter could sense right then, in the heart._

"Neither have I. Maybe its some kind of a latent trait that has been building inside of her, maybe it would eventually link up with ours."

"And especially she actually got to make that serum all of her own and then make it compatible inside her own system, man I have got to stay out of this, or else my freshly baked brain will be burnt to a crisp!"

"Yes yes, its crazy isn't it. I wonder how the hell she concocted aall of that up. But now everything has been settled in between us and I am really looking forward to this day".

"yes, I am actually so glad that the two of you are finally going banging right now" MJ gave out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, now I remember, there was something that I had to pick up. Its an assignment that I was due way back last week. You know, just go on. I will follow you."

Peter looked at her.

Her smiled seemed so genuine but her head seemed to be so conflicted.

Something was really wrong.

And curse this ability.

This did not allow him to sense the same way that MJ opened up the inside his head, just like popping a can of coke.

He did not understand.

If she wanted she could block him right there and if he tried to do the same thing, he would never be able to block him or even shield himself from her extremely inquisitive mind.

Unable to think of anything else, Peter walked back slowly to school, now severely missing her company of MJ chattering all the way till his classes.

He turned around to look back MJ disappear as she slowly took off running.

Her head was shaking wildly, almost looked like fire licking up the atmosphere.

She did not look back at him.

She kept running till Peter saw her mingle with the rest of the morning crowd.

Beneath the facade of people with suits and all people with business like faces.

There was nothing he could do. Like he was stuck right there.

He could sense her all the way but he could react the way he wanted to.

It was to like they had something between them , although he could feel the same warm fuzzy feeling that MJ always has with him around.

But he was already committed to Gwen and Gwen was the only person he loved.

MJ on the other hand had the dangerous edge to her, and truth be told, that itself kind of an aphrodisiac.

Peter turned his head away from her direction and started to walk back on to the track he was on.

He would make it right for both of them, but for now he had to make it right with Gwen.

She had suffered enough.

He would be there for her from now onwards.

He would make sure of that.

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MJ POV

MJ turned around the street.

The crowd of people were getting on her nerves.

She wanted to beat the shit out of anyone who ever tried to push out of her way and move on ahead of her.

She felt a little bit hemmed and hawed.

She leaped and jogged for almost five minutes which almost seemed like an eternity to her.

Her head pounded down so hard.

 _"_ _What did just happen back there?"_

Just for a moment, Mary Jane calmed down and thought for a moment to retrospect.

Just the moment when she thought something. Could she call it a spark?

That she was sure of.

She didn't need anyone to tell her that Peter actually cared for her.

Every time she was on the field with him, he was like scared stiff and doing all kinds of stuff that at times really pissed her off. Like she was a baby and needed extensive care but no. She could look out for herself.

But MJ knew that Peter have a thing going on, although they might not hang out or do stuff much but still.

As his childhood friend, she could not blame him.

He as a kind was always cared about how others felt and but the first time the immense pain and love that MJ felt when she had probed inside his head, she could actually see what Peter wanted to do with her after all she was an a fairly attractive girl in her teens.

Stuff that still now, MJ could feel her cheeks flushing and grow warm with excitement and disappointment because she knew that he would never.

She didn't want any of these ideas to affect her but to her dismay, they were a real pain in the ass and her heart.

"Damn it, Parker. Why? Just tell me why? For a moment you really had me thinking like we could be a thing maybe…"

And now that the shit that Gwen did, tampered with something of his, some blood sample changing it and do this and that, and then again just like him, spewing nerd all over in her mini lab that she had.

MJ couldn't understand the underdeveloped feelings that flushed and resurfaced up so sudden at times, and the deal breaker was that Peter Parker was a nerd.

The biggest four eyed nerd she ever knew and of all guys, she used to think about him from time to time.

That was just too sad.

So crazy and sometimes in need of a company wherever she had been, Peter had always been there for her. Every time she would always lash out at someone, Peter would always find of a way to make her reason and pacify her somehow.

He was like this intermediary connection, a neutral base for her to come to her senses.

And the bond that they had were more than just the years of intimacy that the two of them had, as childhood friends.

It was worth cherishing.

The good and bad times that the two them shared was like this perfect piece of this exquisite memory.

MJ smiled as her head went back in time, looked at them, like a sea of glittering pearls.

She was sad and happy that the thing that they had even surpassed more than friendship.

It warm so damn precious to her.

On the way she stopped on her way to a coffee shop.

Maybe some caffeine in her crapped up system would help her to calm her down and the crankiness, she felt would disappear.

Fortunately the Starbucks at the corner, didn't have much traffic on them.

It was empty which was like a really good thing. She ran inside and asked for a cup of good old large cappuccino and packed a triple chocolate coated doughnut all packed up in a small brown paper bag that bore the bare breasted Rubenesque mermaid logo.

She was just about to get out of the shop when an insane shriek tore through the streets and hit her eardrums. It was piercing and mind you, a just a high pitched sound to your ears would never sound pleasant and that too in the morning, when her day was just going like shit especially with her enhanced senses.

She cringed at the sudden impact on her ears that felt like it would simply fall of her head.

So she scanned around, looked around desperately, trying to track the source of the sound.

There were people screaming. She could see people pointing up at the sky, the faces were bewildered, some scared shitless while the rest were more curious than ever trying to get out off the streets, desperately trying to save themselves.

She looked on to their line of sight, what was freaking them out so bad.

She could now understand, what was actually bothering them so much.

She saw like a girl, a medium height covered from head to toe in spandex, with extra pair of arms that stuck out from her back, swinging fluidly.

It was kind of grotesque in a way but the she did it, her gracefulness was undeniable, the way web spit out from her too many arms seemed surprisingly graceful. Maybe because she was a woman. Not too tall, looked short enough, but she had to say again, the costume was sexy.

She almost looked some kind of a nimble sexy goddess, with extra pairs of arms, like a supernatural deity.

MJ thought of following her, she had to.

Something about her was strangely familiar, something was vaguely similar behind that faced.

 _"_ _What was it? Think MJ think. What are you missing?"_

MJ quickly ran around the back of the Starbucks store.

There wasn't anyone around to look at her, she could change here itself. It was still early in the morning.

She had time.

She tightened her grip around her backpack around the shoulders as she quickly clambered onto the window sill that hung behind the shop, made her way across the roof.

Changed into her suit as quickly as she could leaped off to follow the eight legged masked feak that was scaring the shit out of people everywhere.

She herself was inquisitive of whatever that thing was or whoever that was.

She took off tracking her.

As she went on behind her, her heard spiralled around who the freak could it be.

She increased her speed, she neared the masked eight legged costumed hero.

As MJ followed her, she could make out a striking similarity in her costume with hers but still, although she hated to admit it, was sexy, maybe a bit more than her.

Her overall costume looked more revealing.

Seemed like a one piece suit, red and blue suit that left her shoulders, arms and her upper chest completely bare. A pair of sap gloves adorned her hands.

Her lower legs were bare as well, with angles boots which had web patterns on them.

She had a domino mask on her. It looked large enough to cover almost half of her face and her hair..

Wow, MJ was impressed herself. It was free flowing. Every hair strand looked like finely woven gold spun and stitched on a human scalp.

It was gorgeous.

But her extra pair of arms looked scary, a bit other worldly, bit alien like to be precise. And as usual, they were bare but it looked lethal t her. She had to steer clear off it.

Then the girl looked around her, faced her.

Beneath that domino mask, she could say that it had been the warmest face she had ever laid her eyes on.

She turned around right there in mid-air and looked at her. Like a pro gymnast, while the rest of her arms carried her forward towards a tall skyscraper.

She looked at her as she folded her bare arms, her other arms shot webs just like she did.

Bio webbing.

Just like hers.

Was it Gwen?

Now when she thought it to be her, they similarities were there but the masked freak in front of her looked more beautiful, like a beautiful god, her hair flying in a blitz made her look at her with awe and wonder.

And the last time she saw Gwen, she wasn't that breathtakingly beautiful. But the one in front of her was a model, a perfect amalgamation of sexy and beauty.

She followed her all the way to the top.

As they reached the top, she looked at her as her hands went limp.

The masked girl looked at MJ and smiled. There was huge black spider crest that covered her torso and that extended all the way back to the end of her costume, right where those hand t

The same lopsided grin that Gwen showed but only too rarely.

This curiosity was too much for her to handle.

She had to confirm it from her.

"Gwen, is that you?"

"It is me, alright."

MJ gasped. So it was true then.

"What the …? How? I mean I know how but all of this is huge ... I mean look at those arms, they are crazy, all of these I mean," MJ shook her head as she stammered with disbelieve.

It really was her and this sudden revelation was a bit too hard for her.

So it was true it was her and she had done something with Peter's blood to turn into that and she looked glad by it.

Mary Jane did not expect at least her to do this.

Considering the way she always imagined Gwen to be. Almost near perfect. The perfect example of a merit student and now just for the sake of spending more time with Peter, she did it and it looked like a price she was willing to pay.

God works in mysterious ways.

This is what her aunt always told her.

And there she was, injecting herself with all of that crap.

It was like she never respected the thing that she and Peter shared, the amount of responsibility that came with all of it, the idea that the two of them stood for.

It was just so sad. All of it seemed like her desperation to get Peter's attention.

She wanted her to see reason.

MJ just really could not believe how she could do it.

How immature of her.

Not that she did not want her only because she was over concerned of her safety but there was something else too.

Maybe it was the competition that she wanted to avoid.

Maybe she wanted to study Peter Parker the nerd who was turning to be maybe one of the greatest hero that the world has ever seen.

She didn't know but she wanted to.

And as Gwen was on the same run as her it would be tough for her.

Well first of it was Peter's first crush and her previous experiences reminded her, crushes are always difficult to let go and especially when the two them loved each other like crazy.

"Mary Jane Watson. I know that it has been very difficult for you to wait and fall right in the middle of all this and for that I am truly sorry for you."

 _Oh come on she did not really say that._

Something inside MJ snapped, like a thread.

 _"_ _What did you say that?"_

"Oh you are angry now? Come on. MJ, you should have known that all of this was bound to happen someday. I have seen you steal him right in front of my eyes and this won't happen now. Not the second time. I will fight for him just like he fought for me."

 _"_ _So you can do that mental thinking too. So listen now, you are going to be screwed up so bad and so dead."_

"Oh, no. I am not the one getting screwed up, it is you who is going to get her ass handed out to her."

MJ tried extra hard to probe herself inside her just like the way she did with Peter.

But to her surprise she couldn't even budge.

She couldn't penetrate her defence. It was iron clad. It seemed like she could withstand even the strongest of mental probing.

This would be difficult for her.

But MJ looked determined. She is going to lose her cheekiness right here, cause this would be the decisive battle between the two of them.

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So guys. Did you enjoy it?

And for the next chapter, it really gonna get epic, now that the squabble between the two girls is inevitable, right now.

It would truly showcase their strengths.

And things would get pretty interesting from there onwards.

And as the story further progresses, the tension between them would further grow and Peter would have a real headache trying to figure them out.

And of course, the rise of another villain as I had mentioned in the previous chapter.

And as always, suggestions are welcome and kindly do tell me if I really got the things right and any areas that needs improvement.

And once again, I am a sucker for reviews. Don't forget to leave them as they will just make my day.

J


	17. Chapter 17

Author's note – Hi there once again. I am so very sorry that it has been so long since I last updated it. Any way this is the recent update for my story. And I really hope you like it.

And yes, here you get an in depth knowledge about Gwen more primal like powers and strengths. Not being in control of her powers make her so weirdly strong that Peter acknowledges in this chapter and Gwen realises what could have actually gone if she had really continued to fight to MJ.

Oh no. Seems that I am writing out the plot to you guys. Any way. Enjoy.

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MJ changed her stance.

Her right foot moved forward as her right shoulder faced her.

Her fists balled up. MJ could feel the heat, her tunic straining against the sudden flex of her muscles and the tension in her muscles made her strong. She was going to be ready for her. She would not hold back.

 _"_ _When did she really get this cheeky? Does she really think that she is the boss around here? I will be a judge of that. Just wait and see. I will see right through that mask that you have on you"_

MJ looked at her as she took a step towards her.

That was when she felt her face slowly muse unto a sudden realisation.

Suddenly she felt so weak.

MJ dropped on her knees.

Her legs felt so heavy, for reasons unknown.

It seemed to her that the nerves all over her body were coiling around, making knots that felt like they were being torn away, twisted in the weirdest way ever possible. It was like someone was bending them, forcing them against her own will.

MJ fell down on the concrete floor below her as her body groaned and withered.

Those groans quickly turned into screams of agony, no matter how hard she tried to keep herself calm.

Her body was tearing apart. It no longer heeded her.

Every finger of her body twisted and bent, trying to move over one another, like someone had complete control over her, like someone was deliberately trying to harm her.

MJ looked at Gwen as she stood there frozen and horrified, like a sudden realisation that had struck her like lightening.

She could not stand as well.

 _"_ _Was it effecting her? Did she feel the same pain that I am feeling right now? If yes, then why isn't she screaming? Why?"_

All these thoughts that were going on in her head wasn't a big concern for her, right now.

She was already trying her best to untangle and unhinge herself from the painful, stupefying mess that she was in, trying every possible way to bend and relieve her extremely strained nerve endings.

Good for her for she was nimble, she could bend around in the most awkward angle possible, desperately just to find the right amount of angle to help herself fight the pain that she was in.

She felt torture in its most vicious form as she witnessed the horrors of her torturer through her mind's eye.

Continuous subjugation of the same type of pain on her made her slowly adapt to the effect that it has on her body.

She had even forgotten to breathe for a moment.

So she quickly inhaled, gasped for breath as she took in long sharp fresh oxygenated air form the air.

Nothing felt so liberalizing to her, the way the fresh air filled up her lungs.

It felt like she had been trapped there for all eternity, submerged under water for so long that she could barely count.

It literally felt like she was being purged out, from all of her sins.

She felt good but still, her mind was in a constant state of alertness, because she knew that one small fleeting split second of losing concentration, pain would shoot up her entire body like burning acid that she wanted to avoid at all costs. Because she was still trapped in that insane twisted position without any means of freeing herself.

She looked at Gwen, who still sat in the same trance that had been when she fell down on her knees.

Her eyes looked pleading, all teary, like she was sorry for something that she had not done.

But this time, for whatever the reason it may have been, she looked genuinely sorry apologising from her heart.

MJ could make that out at least that, as her judgement remained somewhat untouched, still intact away from the wanton infliction that her body was going through.

Gwen looked at her as she slowly got up, she looked scared, like she was experiencing shock, the first time when everything hurts like crazy.

Gwen began to scream. Gwen herself was in pain, MJ could tell that.

"Gwen.."

MJ had just began of thinking of something to say to her when she felt her eyes ready to bulge out once again.

Again the same pain.

It was much more excruciating this time.

MJ screamed as well.

She could not handle it any more.

She wanted it to end desperately as soon as possible.

MJ closed her eyes as she huffed and puffed, trying to ease her pain.

Gwen's POV

Gwen fell on to her knees as she felt her consciousness expand and probe into almost everything.

Walls, the ground below, Mary Jane too.

And especially Mary Jane's, she could hear the screams, like the pain that she felt as MJ twisted and contorted as her consciousness infiltrated her mind palace.

She didn't want this to happen, but anyway this happened and it was well beyond her to stop the probing that broke down her defences down, like a stone tearing through the layers of a puddle of water.

The only way was to run out of there.

She could not risk it.

She felt her pain, like it was her pain.

The pain that MJ had to endure in past few days, the scars that were still in the process of healing. She was still not well and there she was, destroying MJ's mending body, unknowingly into a thousand pieces.

It would sure scare her shitless for sure.

Gwen turned around, she leapt and bound.

She was so sad, tears streamed down her face. She could find MJ stare burning her back, almost threatening her not to leave. She was more scared of doing her harm without her knowledge, which she really didn't appreciate at all.

That this fight was far from over.

She was still angry at her and now more at her inability to stand up to her and face her, the rookie that she was.

That was still true.

Gwen had no real experience with all these gifts and strengths and the first person she decides to go against is the hot headed MJ.

And this was not good.

Not good at all.

Gwen swung as fast as she could, trying to keep herself far away from the ground. Because she knew of the gasps and freaky looks that New Yorkers would give her and this was not what she wanted her first image to be.

She had to find a way from them because she knew that it was absolute for them to freak out on her.

She had to go down slow among them. And on top of that, the issue with MJ was another matter that had to take off. But certainly not now.

MJ was still hurting her or else she would have stayed and maybe even tried to fight with her.

She didn't have a grasp of her strength but she realised that it had to do something with mental link that all the three of them probably shared right now.

She ran to the only place she knew she could be safe.

Because there was no place like home.

Home is such a place that could never be changed and altered by any change in time, fate or reality. She knew that home would forever welcome her and it would never ever judge her, for any wring that she might have committed or will committed in the future. It would readily accept her, just the way she was and forever will be.

The feeling of being in home can never be replaced and become surrounded by the people, your family is one of the most comforting things that could never be replaced.

She crept up to her room, quickly stashed her costume in a place that only she had access to.

She had to wait.

 _Now is not time._ Thought Gwen as she found her bed.

She lay down, looked at the expressionless walls in front of her.

How come she put MJ in pain?

She pondered for a bit, but she didn't want to do that. In fact she wanted to help her, seeing her in a pitiable state.

But it was good in one way.

She didn't have to fight MJ, although god knows why she was withering so badly.

Was all of this still related? The mental link that she supposedly seemed to have with her unknowingly, however painful it might have been to MJ.

It had to be, because she couldn't ever find any viable conclusion.

She never intended to fight her first of all but a part of her always wanted to know what it would be to fight her. And more importantly what would be result of their fight.

It was just pointless, most of it was just built on spite.

She knew that she would never hold back on her as now they had that same urge, both of them were fighting for one person only and that was Peter.

She could sense that hunger inside her, lately her protectiveness towards Peter, the way MJ felt about Peter, it was somewhat similar to being heart-warming and she didn't like that for some reason.

But anyway, she had this sense inside her that she would win. And that sense urging her to let it take it take over her. A feeling that she wanted to taste so badly. A win.

Well a humiliating defeat it would be, that wouldn't have to struggle much.

Just like a thousand harmonies, it would sound to her.

But she was glad that it didn't happen.

God knows where that would have escalated.

She turned and tossed around.

Gwen could feel it.

That feeling, when the people were shooing and booing at her, those scared looks that they gave her.

She felt it.

Just the way Peter felt.

The same way. She knew that it was hard for him.

Now she knew that. The way he had to start all over to win their hearts, by looking out for them, even though they continuously hooted her.

But Peter on the other hand, could handle all of that.

It was again him once again.

There were some things that Peter would always surpass the girls. Because it was all his legacy that being passed down.

He was after all the original.

The original spider.

Some traits in him were so very specific that Gwen knew that she would never have.

The spectacular, the amazing and the ultimate.

The friendly neighbourhood spiderman.

But she had to wait on for now, she had to learn what other strengths she has got left in her apart from the obvious things that she can do.

She still had a lot to learn and she was ready to push herself to her limit, to understand the depth of her strength.

Peter's POV

Peter was swinging around.

If it would not have been the cool autumn air that was calming him, he felt like his face was ready to melt off his facial bones.

Gwen did something that he never thought she would and then there was MJ.

Both of them was really proving him to be more of a handful.

Did he really say something to piss her off that bad that she actually took of flying without saying a word to him?

He had to understand and most of all he had to know, if he had done anything wrong.

All he did was profess his love for Gwen.

And for some reason, he knew that it had to something about her.

In fact sometimes Peter could feel the bond inside his mind, elongate itself turning making it very hard to figure out MJ. Sometimes it become so hard that for him that their mental link simply snapped at times, like a thread.

That tethered thread that was slowly winding and turning into a long complex maze.

Was he getting emotionally attached to her?

He did not know that or maybe he knew but too scare to admit.

So was that it?

He had to see both of them.

He could do that.

Peter liked both of them but only that his in ability to judge the better of the two off them left him with a giant question mark on his head ...

 _Yeah. Okay he was sure now._

He would do it right now.

First he would go and meet Gwen and then with MJ.

He had to make this right and he would do it right now, more than ever, his need filled with conviction.

But first, he knew that he had to make up for the lost time that he spent doing missions and being away from her every time he promises her that he would be with him.

She was his girlfriend, for Christ's sake. And he had to make her feel like it.

He would make up for the lost time, maybe even try to come up with something new.

Something avant garde wouldn't hurt at all.

Maybe he could surprise her.

Maybe pack some pizza on the way. The one that she liked, the one with jalapenos, meat and cheese over it.

 _Yeah that would be good._

Peter rushed down the nearest Domino's Pizza.

True it was all awkward for the masked red and blue vigilante inn tights to wait and order like just the rest.

It was a bit uncomfortable for him too.

Few of them even took snaps of him, even selfies with him.

It was awkward, but the people, they were genuine, like they really cared for him, saw the hero that he was not the nuisance that Mr Jameson dubbed him to be.

He ordered two extra large ones, with extra cheese and an extra layer of topping just in case.

Although it was not a policy for them to put extra pizza topping, but after all it was their friendly neighbourhood Spiderman right?

Who wouldn't make an exception for him?

He just paid the right amount, and even some extra tip.

Well that was the last of his pocket money but still it was worth it.

Peter shoved the pizzas carefully, webbed it up, so as to avoid its spilling inside as he took off to Gwen's place.

He peeped in through the window near the fire escape and found her lying down on her bed.

Her eyes were already wide open.

He just thought of surprising her.

He pried open her window as carefully as he could that even a mouse would remain undisturbed.

Just as he tried to put a step inside her bedroom Gwen quietly turned around and looked at him and smiled. The warmest one that he last saw on her.

And Peter just simply freaked out. This wasn't the reaction he was just expecting from her.

"Hey, how long have you known that I was just outside here?" Peter clambered to her bedroom, without any attempt to musk the sound that he was trying to make.

"Peter I could hear you a mile away. You were just so loud." Gwen chuckled as she saw his bewildered face as he pulled his mask away.

"And yeah I see you have got yourself some pizzas and lucky me. I am hungry as hell."

Peter quickly pulled out the pizza boxes and placed on her bed.

They opened up and devoured on the pieces ravenously.

"Peter this is so good. I just can't remember the last time I had something unhealthy and good like this."

Peter looked at her. She looked sad, like something was bothering her.

"What is it Gwen? You know that you can tell me right?"

Peter dropped the half eaten pizza back inside the box and looked at her.

She was scared, Peter could see that.

"Peter, I …. I don't know. I think I have tell you something."

Peter waited patiently for her to open up.

He knew that this was going to be difficult, the first time when he got his powers, everything was so different back then, with no one to confide to, Peter would have gone mad.

And Gwen wouldn't have to go through all of that. He would be there for her just like he had done for MJ.

Speaking of MJ he had to go and see her too. But not now. Gwen was his main concern now. He won't run away from her now. He would give all his time, the only thing that he was lacking and now with everything settled he would be there for her.

"Peter, I am so sorry."

Gwen broke down. Like literally, she grew dangerously quiet. A kind of quietness that Peter had never seen in her.

He looked at her a bit scared now.

Seeing her so vulnerable made Peter want to wrap his arms around her protectively.

He didn't fight it. He responded to his basic primal urge to protect the one girl, the girl on whom he fell so hard, and the girl that he had once sworn to protect no matter what.

He slowly crawled near to her and took her in his arms. Like a cocoon, trying to protect her from the outside world, the vulnerability that she felt.

Peter felt that need in him, rise. The need to be there with her in every step.

He would help her. Like her scars, yearning for his tender caress.

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MJ POV

It was a clear morning and Peter had already taken off. She knew because she could no longer feel him nearby. That vacantness was too prominent in her head, like it was something being forced from her beyond her wish.

She didn't need anyone to tell her it was he had already gone to meet Gwen. Like he wanted to make up to her.

Sometimes she found it so difficult to figure him out.

She had already laid hints out for him to pick up. Peter knew what she wanted; MJ knew that but still he chose to openly ignore her. It was almost like he didn't care about her.

No one is that dumb enough to not acknowledge the indirect suggestion that she kept throwing at him, the ones she was trying to throw into the mix, the ones that she wanted Peter so desperately to pick up.

At least he could have plainly said it to her face at the very least.

She banged her door shut, as she left her place, pacing her way to her school.

Aunt Watson, came up rushing hearing the banging of her door.

She quickly turned and looked around. Evidently, it was the banging that brought her rushing to the doorstep.

There wasn't anyone.

She half expected it to be Mary Jane, her sudden mood swings and all, raging teenage hormones and of course the way she had been behaving. Everything was so puzzling for her.

She couldn't control MJ, it was almost like she had never seen anyone to be so difficult.

It was more like she was the most difficult kid that she had ever come across.

The strong breeze that was blowing, pushed her back in her house, as she struggled a bit to maintain a grip on her footing.

 _"_ _Probably the wind. Jesus, it almost gave me a heart attack."_

Taking this to be her final assumption, she went inside, this time locking the door so that it would never bang the way it did now.

Mary Jane didn't look back, she ran and ran.

She webbed up her face she took off swinging and didn't even bother to suit up.

She gave a fuck to anyone else. Hell, she gave a fuck if anyone would ever figure out that it was her. The spider girl that always hung out with Spiderman.

She always thought the world to hold at least some surprise for her, but she was always proved wrong. Now it didn't really matter. She knew what she wanted.

She had this life of her own and for first time, she would never let anyone control her.

MJ was strong and she could kick ass.

And that was all she thought she needed to make an identity for herself.

She would no longer do it anyone else's way. It would be her way.

From now and ever after.

She just swung. She could see the people down below, trying their best to get a good view of her. But all they could make out was her red blazing flowing hair and that she was just a very young girl. There were sudden gasps of the people down below, some even tried to snap pictures of her but MJ made it a point to pull herself up and move in between the skyscrapers to avoid the flashing and snapping of the cameras' lens. Anyway the more she struggled, the more the people tried to get a good view of her.

MJ reached school well ahead of time. She could see her everyone pouring in.

Students and teachers alike, eager to get their days started, some had dull and mundane faces obviously not pleased to have come and spend the day in the school.

She jumped and leaped, till she found a convenient way to tear up the webbing that adorned her face.

Something inside of her till persuaded her, to keep her identity a secret just like the Peter does.

No matter how hard she tried to disobey him but his reason, his logic was absolute and flawless and she couldn't counter him, couldn't reject the way she felt, now their mental that they shared had grown so strong that she could not deny the obvious strength in him and that made her want to forgive him.

She could at least follow his principles.

At the very least it let her remain connected to him. She couldn't remain angry with him at all times, because it was not fair for him. She knew that she had to make peace with him.

MJ knew that his main allegiance lied with Gwen and the way he had first described her, the way he felt whenever she proved inside him, everything felt so intense.

Maybe it was just a side effect now hampering her big time. Maybe, she too wanted a taste of that same pure sincere relationship that Gwen was got from him.

It might be because she never had a serious boyfriend, ever.

It was almost like she could never be serious with them how she tried. Sooner or later she would find some flaw in them that usually results her dumping them.

It made her forget how really good a relationship could be if only it had been mutual.

It was the same with Harry Osborne as well.

Maybe a part of her wanted to date him but no.

As she had already felt, after that mutated blood of Peter's transmuted her senses, she felt she could never ever stay with him. Just like the way Peter had warned her of him about something that seems awfully wrong and that episode that Peter had, with his father, the curse of the Osborn family, it made her blood run cold that finally made her realize the monster that he was.

But still that emptiness at not being able to share, the way Peter did, with Gwen, it was unbearable to her. It was almost like being addicted to a long lost memory of normal relationship that they usually see everywhere, just like they were in- love enemies, like a fallen chemistry.

That was all she wanted but god just knows what was so wrong in her that she tried an attempt to make do the impossible. And for that she was mad at herself basically.

Anyway, now that she thought, it might have been part Peter's fault too.

And once again, she just couldn't believe that he was being so naïve, the way he was ignoring her. Like the thought itself it infected her. The more she thought about this, the madder she seemed to get. Or maybe, it was because, she wasn't used to being ignored upon by any guy and Peter being the first guy who openly rejected her. She just didn't seem to get this thought wrapped around her head.

She could have made him scream, maybe , now that she thought of it, she could have even made his mind suggestible to fact that he no longer loved Gwen and maybe even forcefully make him think that they had a thing or two going on with her all along.

She might have done that but that wouldn't be fair. Even if she did that, it would more of a forced affair, that would have no life it, like slaves getting on their knees, but she wasn't that empty and shallow.

She had her own identity but the only trouble she had was being addicted to that same memory dating Mr Nerdy pants that made her of go after him again and again.

She pulled her hair up in a neat bun and arranged it.

 _Let's do it MJ. You are the best and let's not forget to kick some ass._

So thinking she, crept out of the small tunnel where she altered her appearance a bit trying to make herself a bit presentable apart from the crazy unmanageable hair that the wind had just done it.

MJ pulled the straps of her bag close to her, looked headstrong, as she entered the building.

She greeted a few friends on her way as she made her way to her class.

She slumped down to the same old bench.

For once it felt good for her to be back on her class, exactly the way it was, the cracks on her wooden desk, the frail rough pen marks on her desk, some creative drawings here and there. Everything felt normal.

Now she had trigonometry.

She could pull through.

MJ was confident about it. She remembered most of the formulas and the processes for solving the general sums, another perk of being linked with the wall crawler,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The entire say had passed. There wasn't a sight of Peter or Gwen. Both of them seemed to be missing.

 _Why do I have to care? Both of them were probably flunking their classes. Let them, I really don't care._

MJ was moved across several to students' corridor where all of them had lockers. She pulled out books for her history class.

As she carried her books across to her class, she could see a brown headed guy and a girl having long sewn golden hair, that looked vaguely familiar.

 _Could be Gwen and Peter._ She thought.

She stood right there on her track. She wanted to ignore them.

She slowly turned around as she could feel Gwen's vision leering back at her with recognition, as she turned around quickly apparently looking for someone or something.

She wanted to run away.

The last thing she wanted now is the two of them coming after her just when she thought of doing the entire day so well, completely uneventful, especially without any prying in her head that Gwen just did the previous day.

She had deliberately closed off her head, completely blocking any means of contacting or even feeling her thoughts.

She could feel some probing here and there, like a blind man trying to grab on a specific item.

 _It was Peter._

She could recognise the nature of his mind, anywhere now. Maybe because of the countless hours the two spent inside each other's head.

It was funny in a way.

MJ turned and sprinted into the hallway. She could not stay there anymore.

Leaving them all far behind.

But just then, she could feel another presence but this presence seemed to be much more domineering than before.

She had felt this presence before.

It was familiar to which she could feel her anger growing, coupled with a bit of fear because she remembered very well whatever it was that followed after this feeling, it wasn't a bit pleasant at all, the first time when she encountered her.

Gwen.

She was trying to pin her down with her mind.

She took a few steps aback, trying to fight her way out of the dominating presence that she felt.

She could feel that presence, now stronger than ever before, like every step she took away from her, it became more and more vicious in its approach.

She had to move out quick.

She thought quickly.

She could try to get into her class quietly but she would be probably be thrown out for being so late.

Unfortunately she wasn't the valedictorian student like Peter or Gwen.

She like breaking rules and does that occasionally.

Maybe that was her signature.

Maybe she could do that instead of running around in this wild goose chase that she had absolutely no chance of winning.

It would be difficult on her part to concentrate with the constant probing inside her mind from those two but she would have to manage.

She would have pull off something that they would never expect from her.

That was her only trump card.

As she walked cautiously around the building till she saw the Chemistry lab beside her.

Maybe this was exactly what she needed.

She made her way quietly among the groups of student, slipped in some old lab coat and made her way through the crowd.

In the back of her mind, she could feel their presence inside her head growing stronger now.

She knew that this wasn't going to last that long.

She quietly slipped from the group and made her to the hoard of hazardous chemicals that were kept beside on a slab.

Seeing her there, students turned around to look at her but she didn't give a shit. She once looked back at them as most of them quickly scuttled back to their work place, minding their own business.

Because people knew enough to avoid a brawl with her by any means necessary because she was the gal who took down Flash Thompson. And there were people who were even scared of her to look at her directly in the eye.

MJ turned around once more and focussed on the slab. She saw what she needed – Sodium, Potassium, some concentrated sulphuric acid ought to the trick.

She pulled a small beaker from the nearby shelf.

Poured it half with concentrated sulphuric acid.

Sodium being soft she broke it off with the help of two pairs of tweezers.

She almost bent the tweezers in her attempt to break off a small piece but it let her get the job done.

She broke it off nice and easy into small granules and pulled out two large pieces.

She had to pull this nice and slow, meticulously planning every step.

She put a few smaller granules into the wet sink that started a spontaneous reaction with the moisture that lay at the bottom of the sink.

There were oohs and aahs everyone, seeing the sparks that danced there at the bottom of the sink.

The crowd of students got pulled away from the experiments that they were working on and all of them were frantic in making their exit.

 _Nice. Just the way I planned._

This drew in Peter and Gwen as expected and that was obvious.

She saw the two of them, make way as they heard all the commotion.

She put the remaining granules inside the borrowed lab coat's side pocket and quietly made her way out of the laboratory.

She ran.

MJ ran as fast as she could.

She knew that it wouldn't be enough to outsmart the two geniuses of their school.

Maybe they have figured it out already.

She would have to separate them.

She would have to draw them away from each other.

She took the two large chunks of sodium and put them at the corner of the room.

She opened her consciousness lightly as she could feel Peter's presence, still trying desperately to look for her.

She knew he meant well but she didn't want that.

And most of all she didn't like Gwen. Her consciousness felt more vicious like a snake.

God knows what would happen if she could get a control of her head once again.

She looked at concentrated sulphuric acid as she tried to aim it at the huge chunks of metal.

She let go of her breathe as she threw it at a random direction but just random enough so that it would make contact with the metal pieces.

True to her prediction it did.

As soon as it did, the explosion was loud almost equivalent to a small grenade.

Sparks flew off like crazy.

MJ tried to feel for Peter's mind.

She felt it as his conscience tried to look for hers too.

She could feel Gwen's consciousness too, random and wild, vicious like tentacles that would grab on to any tiny hint of her mind.

She looked around trying to found the source of the large explosion. The cry of the students who were nearby ran here and there.

All of them were scared, not understanding the cause or the reason behind the sudden explosion.

 _This is bound their job difficult. That will make them think twice before tracking me down._ She thought.

Right then, she could feel Peter's mind coming down strongly on her.

But she was ready.

Mary Jane didn't hold back. She attacked his mind with equal strength.

She subdued him, like it was a piece for cake for her. It seemed to her that Peter hardly put any effort in his attempt.

It was like he wasn't expecting her to meet him in this way, or maybe more concerned about hurting her.

 _"_ _Hey tiger. Long time."_

 _"_ _MJ, don't do this. We are just scared for you."_

 _"_ _Oh spare me the bull. I really don't care if you want me to believe you but I certainly don't like this and now that I have faced Gwen, you stay with her and the two of you just be happy. I just want to be involved in your stupid romantic nonsense."_

 _"_ _MJ, please don't do this."_ MJ could feel Peter cringe under her influence.

She felt bad for doing that to him again.

So she simply let him go.

She knew that he meant no harm but she would pass. She didn't need him.

Not now, not ever.

She wanted out.

She wanted to be her own.

She didn't need another shoulder to cry on.

She could feel Gwen's invading consciousness once again. She was going to be difficult she had to let his head go and run away from the school. She had had enough.

A part of her wanted to run to him.

Wanted to beat him for the emotional torture that he put her through.

Another part of her wanted to slap him.

But none of that would ever make her stop from thinking of him more than friends, more than the brotherly sisterly love and bond that they shared.

She wanted more. But she knew that it would never be possible.

MJ slowly quickly made her way out of her school along with the other students as she felt the two distinct minds fumble over each other, wrapping up each other, filled with care and a heartstring of emotion that made MJ want to sob.

She stopped herself. This wasn't her time.

Her time is yet to come.

Now she knew that more than ever.

It was in her best interest to make her leave him. Run away from him.

Cause she wasn't ready to go through that talk yet that she knew was inevitable.

She won't be able to do it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gwen's POV

She looked at the place which just looked like a million firecrackers had exploded just right in front of her. The area was completely blacked, charred, the clear marble tiling had come loose from the cement bindings that held it together. And most importantly, it was still burning up, even now.

Fumes were everywhere, although they weren't that harmful but she could still make them out.

For a moment it made Gwen dizzy.

Drifting and mixing into the air as she looked around.

The amount of sodium had been so much that even now the reaction seemed to be unstoppable.

As it ate through the surrounding debris, sparks flying out.

Even more dangerously than ever.

She had to find a way to contain it.

The sodium chunk was large enough and was still reactive enough to tear through the entire building's foundation.

There were shocked faces everywhere. The entire place was still in a complete turmoil.

She thought.

Sodium. Comes after Potassium.

The second most reactive metal in the reactivity series. Potassium even reacts with open air. There was a reason why she didn't use potassium in the first place.

Sodium on the other hands needs water at least to start its reaction.

And if brought into contact with any concentrated acid, the rest will be blasphemous any way.

But there the amount of acid was still less, as most of it spilled all the way away from the sodium piece making a bit less reactive but still it wasn't okay to be left ignored.

It was still dangerous enough.

She needed kerosene.

The kerosene oil in which all the sodium and potassium pieces are usually doused to prevent its contact with the atmospheric moisture.

Only that might have been able to keep the piece in check.

And the only place to procure that oil was to go back to the chemistry lab.

She looked back.

She couldn't see Peter anywhere.

He might have probably already gone back to the lab.

As she just decided to head back, she found Peter right there lying down.

He was literally shaking.

He was sweaty all over.

It was almost like he was like his brain go fried or something, like a he was a victim of road kill but somehow, he managed to get himself to safety, in the nick of time. So shaken he was that, he could hardly move.

She quickly bent down towards him, with eyes full of concern.

Peter looked at her.

Gwen looked in his eyes.

They were all bloodshot, among the clear caramel brown eyes of his.

It was just so sick to look at him.

For a moment it looked like his skin had literally greyed.

Gwen opened her mind once again.

She usually kept it close, her inability to control her head, made her go whacko.

She cringed at the turmoil of everything that was going on around her.

The sudden shifting of desks and tables, the mass exodus.

Everything.

Every single detail.

Peter reached for her face.

He spoke up.

 _"_ _Do what you have to do. I will be fine. There are people you have to protect"_

He actually spoke to her without opening to his mouth.

It seemed just so fantastic to her that she just seemed to stop for a second to contemplate on everything that went around her.

Did they finally establish the connection that she was waiting for?

Just like the way MJ and Peter seemed to share.

It was just too magical.

And now of all moments.

She snapped out of her trance for a moment and looked at Peter's pained face once again.

 _"_ _Yeah, am on it."_

She made her way to the lab.

Good for her.

Everyone had already evacuated.

It would be much simpler for her now, without anyone there to question her.

She made her way to the restricted area where she found the most corrosive chemicals, all properly locked and stored, there was even a container that held potassium cyanide, one of the most potent poisons of all time.

She turned her head.

It just smelled too toxic.

She could almost feel the fumes burning up her trachea, if any one of them were ever to open to open up.

She took a huge container and poured in the inert oil that usual held the reactive metals in the store room and made her way out of the lab.

 _Oh right, I need a pair of tweezers, a lab coat, in case any thing ever falls on me._

She looked back. Before she could even react, a pair of her hands, just simply erupted from behind her, one of them shot a web line and pulled a pair of tweezers that lay on the table just in front of her and other hand pushed her forward as it made an attempt to grab at the old lab coat that hung at the hangers behind the door.

This scared her every time.

Every time, her hands erupted from behind her.

Still, she couldn't complain.

It made her life much easier.

She didn't even have to hold everything by her own two hands for that matter.

She had to make her way quickly to the place where the reaction was still happening.

She knew that she could still stop it and there was still time to waste.

Gwen leaped forth.

Allowed her senses to take control of her.

For the second time.

Those hands erupted out of her back.

One pair arranged the lab coat around her while the other held on the pair of tweezers.

Gwen herself held on the container that had the oil in it. And as for the other hand, it propelled her forward, at times it even webbed her forward with astounding speed.

It seemed to be second for her as her hands and consciousness did most of the work for her.

Peter had just woken up from his trance.

Colour was slowly flooding into his face.

He looked at Gwen.

He was shocked.

"Girl. You know that you only took a few seconds for you to get everything you need."

Peter looked like he was about to faint once again.

This came as another rude shock to him.

She was just too fast.

Gwen on the other hand leaped forward before he could fall down, supporting him on her shoulders before he fell down to his knees.

"No. Go on." Peter spoke to her with a bit of urgency.

Gwen nodded at him.

She moved forward.

She could see it.

The sparks, like a time bomb, ticked away, emitting large miniature explosions every now and then.

She had to be careful.

She had to be quick and bloody fast to get that thing inside the container.

She could do it.

She waited for the next periodic explosion to go up once again and this time, she was ready.

Gwen shot a web line and completely encased the reactive metal, and pulled it as fast as she could.

That metal, flew towards her, faster than she expected it too.

It was gonna blow up in her front of her face any moment now.

She quickly closed her eyes. She was scared.

For a moment she thought, she was a goner.

She opened her eyes out of curiosity, when she didn't hear anything, other than a soft plop that came in form something down below, she could hear the soft murmur of the container in her hands as the metal steadied itself.

She looked down below.

The sodium piece nestled there in the container, complete wrapped around a white soft sticky that seemed to disappear behind her, before it finally detached itself.

So that was what happened. She wasn't the one who pushed the metal straight into the container.

It was her hands that helped her out, again.

She slowly got up and looked back, to find the ever stunned Peter looking back at her.

Gwen blushed a little.

"Hey, Pete. Come on. You don't have to stare at me like that."

"But Gwen … I … Did you see what … what you just did back there?"

Peter looked at Gwen like he had seen a ghost, but in between that feeling, there was something in his eyes.

Like the feelings that Peter harboured for her, it had multiplied about hundred folds.

And this was the time when Gwen thought of opening her mind up to him.

To understand only him, what was going on inside that head of his.

Only to understand him.

So she opened it up, allowed herself to become one with him.

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Peter's POV

Peter was already struggling hard.

The state that MJ had left him, was too much for his mind actually.

He could only do so much.

He wanted to look after MJ as much as he wanted to do the same with Gwen.

But then he had witnessed something extraordinary in front of him.

The thing that Gwen had behind her.

 _Oh My God._

Peter was speechless.

He already knew about the mental psychic bond that Gwen had and those arms too, when he perused through MJ's head during their brief encounter.

The danger Gwen could become if she were ever to be provoked.

And there she was walking up slowly to him.

A questionable child-like smile on her face.

Peter again felt his head, being probed and but this time, it was somewhat gentle.

It was so much gentle like tasting sweet honey, it was smooth.

It was smooth and rich.

But with MJ every time it was like taking on swigs of Scotch, every time when it comes to that it had always been unpleasant with her, but the moment Gwen made contact with him, he felt like he had taken a dip in a hot spring, like all his sore brain muscles were caressed slowly and steadily.

Taking its own free time to continuously mend himself.

To just simply put it, it was being in a spa.

That was exactly how he felt.

Nothing could ever describe it better than that.

He walked up to her and hugged her.

And this he felt her.

Her hands, as they wrapped around his body.

Tight and snug. Warm like he was being smothered and he just liked the way his parents used to smother him. When he was kid. No that he actually remembered much of them but still parts of it, were like warm fuzzy sunshine.

He didn't know why.

But now it felt like he had never been so complete and satisfied.

And without even thinking of anything he opened up to her as she did too.

Their thoughts, their most private moments all joined into a single being.

A single entity, only with the two finest minds of all time.

She felt all of his at once and she didn't flinch.

She knew enough of him and she understood almost all of him better than anyone else, well of course after his aunt and as did Peter.

Peter knew Gwen too.

Her mother, her brothers and her deceased father that Peter fought so hard to protect.

And the bond that her family shared.

That pure and the strength of the bond.

The bond that puts all other things to shame.

Peter enjoyed being in her.

As she did in hers.

She could feel her, as she slowly browsed through his memories, the tough childhood that he had, the constant bullying throughout his life, the death of his parents, this uncle Ben and the time when he broke up with her, just as a means to protect himself and to keep her away from all the harm he could.

Every time, every moment was just so well defined.

It was like living through each and every moment time and again, but only this time it was just too well defined.

She could fell Gwen reach and peruse through the parts of his head where MJ and Peter shared those awkward moments.

And Peter didn't seem to flinch.

There was nothing more than the brotherly and sisterly affection that the two of them shared but somewhere deep inside he knew that she could see him thinking of her as something more but all of that outweighed by whatever he had in front of him.

And most importantly there was nothing there to hide.

But Peter knew that he had to look out for MJ. God knows where she would go.

She was dangerous in her own way and for that Peter was scared and also the fact that she could so easily control him.

It somewhat put him at stress but still he had to find a way to do it.

Right then his head seemed to fill with a soft tune and that made Peter close his eyes and he let his mind set adrift for a moment.

It was quiet and serene.

It was a drug to him.

He knew that this was the tune that he shared with Gwen at their first date.

It was the first time when he lulled her to sleep.

It all crept up to him like a warm summer evening, just warm and pleasant without a single thought to torture him again.

 _"_ _Don't worry babe, I know how much you care for her. I will help you. I will help you look out for her."_

Peter looked at her with eyes ever so complete and full of gratitude.

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So guys, as you can see that in this chapter I have stressed on more of her mental prowess here rather than her physical strengths.

Being totally new to her strengths and her lack of experience makes her more sceptical to fight MJ or Peter physically, especially when she can get it all done mentally and there is absolutely no need for her to struggle so much but still I assure you, there is pretty much more left in store for the three of them as they realise that they really have to stick through thick and thin together to make their ends meet, that I will be revealing in the next chapter, the threat that will slowly uncover.

The threat that will force them to combine their strengths that might leads to start of new relationships and heartbreaks.

And once again, I am very thankful to my reviewers Highlander348, Ravenmore45, who have provided me with ideas that helped me get through this chapter.

And of course the anonymous readers out there, I will forever be grateful to you..

And off course, I will try to write intimate scenes with the two of them and with MJ too in due time.

Please rate and review.

Reviews really make my day. and keep me going...

And one more thing my dear readers and reviewers.I have decided to continue the same story but in a new story. So kindly leave behind reviews or ratings as in you like in that story.

The story will be named - The ethereality of the Spiders.

I once again thankyou, for your kind and dear support.


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